Marcello Guido: Architecture as Historical Interrogation and Geometric Dissolution

Marcello Guido (born Acri, 1953) is an Italian architect whose work, exemplified by his celebrated intervention on Piazza Toscano in Cosenza (1999-2001), rejects orthogonal geometry and embraces a decostruttivista approach that interrogates historical contexts. Influenced by Bruno Zevi, Guido sees modernity as transversal across five millennia of architecture, not tied to recent temporal contingencies. He cites Hans Scharoun as his true master and draws inspiration from Dada (Tristan Tzara's 'Dada means nothing'), Expressionism, Kandinsky's graphics, Neoplasticism, and Schwitters' Merzbau. His Piazza Toscano project, an archaeological area with Renaissance, medieval, and Roman layers, was met with equal scandal and consensus for its modern sign in a historical setting; today it suffers from neglect and ruderization. Guido has also realized a vertical tower replacing a shed in a peripheral area of Cosenza, creating a new public square and recognizable skyline. He is currently working on recovery projects for abandoned or declining historic centers in Calabria. Guido laments that Italian architecture's most fertile period was from post-war to the 1970s, with postmodernism blocking research, and today the profession is reduced to supplying consumer goods. He advises young architects to study abroad.