The Avery Review is a journal dedicated to thinking about books, buildings, and other architectural media. LAN has been invited to be one of the contributors of its next publication. Here is the introduction :

"Geography, climate, technique, and culture lie at the origins of typological and morphological evolutions in architecture and urban development. Igloos, compact Nordic buildings, or African wind towers are examples of responses to specific environmental conditions, of a “wise” architecture that contributes to an overall sense of ecological balance. Climate change requires us to be able to understand such examples in order to imagine others, to incorporate their know-how to invent a modern inter-seasonal architecture that contains multiple climate strategies."

Geography, climate, technique, and culture lie at the origins of typological and morphological evolutions in architecture and urban development. Igloos, compact Nordic buildings, or African wind towers are examples of responses to specific environmental conditions, of a “wise” architecture that contributes to an overall sense of ecological balance.

Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola is one such example that inspires our firm’s research through the intrinsic intelligence of its form. Begun by Sangallo and completed by Vignola, it was initially conceived as a fortress, but bastions at each corner gave way to large terraces that look out onto the surrounding countryside. The palace both stands out against the landscape and blends harmoniously into it. A road leads directly from the building to the village center below, visually tying the two together while asserting the palace’s preeminent position.

Within, Vignola built a circular courtyard, a true stroke of genius for its heliotropic strategy. The summer usages are located to the north and west, away from the direct rays of the sun, while winter usages lie instead to the south, to benefit from the solar exposure. The thick walls store and emit heat or cool, while the courtyard galleria increases ventilation. The roof and the courtyard collect rainwater for use inside the building and irrigating the grounds.

The building sits atop a true logistical platform: all the building’s services—kitchens, storehouses—are linked through a veritable network of “technical” connections. Among the many examples of the building’s ingeniousness, the main stairway, known as the Scala del Cartoccio, was also used to send messages. The main balustrade in marble was in fact a hollow tube containing sand, down which one could slide a bundle of paper (a cartoccio) to the lower floors.

Climate change requires us to be able to understand such examples in order to imagine others, to incorporate their know-how to invent a modern, inter-seasonal architecture that contains multiple climate strategies.