Selected Writings

This lecture traces a philosophical and psychological journey through architecture, from childhood estrangement to the subversion of dominant narratives. Drawing on Plato’s eidos, Jung’s analytical psychology and Palladio’s literary legacy, the talk explores architecture as a manifestation of imagination, memory and Being. Themes of style, form, proportion and position unfold as gateways to deeper dimensions—where architecture becomes a vessel for ancestral knowledge, psychic resonance and historical continuity. Sicily emerges as both origin and metaphor: a place of shadows, thresholds and transformation.

In this televised interview, simulation is explored as a tool for interpreting reality and challenging architectural conventions. The conversation traces a trajectory from video games to the Houses for No One, revealing a strategy of subversion through imagined architecture. The act of simulating becomes a cultural and philosophical gesture, bypassing economic structures and proposing a humanistic alternative. Architecture is reframed as a critical, pre-modern discipline—where imagination precedes construction and meaning transcends materiality.

This lecture explores architecture as a perceptual and historiographical phenomenon, where buildings gain meaning through collective imagination and interpretation. The website becomes a reflective body, a stratigraphy of others’ readings—critical, poetic, contradictory—forming a mirror of the work itself. Architecture is framed not as a finished object but as a time-based interface, a conduit for memory and psychic resonance. Through self-analysis and documentation, the project becomes a vessel for messages to the soul, resisting the arrogance of the present and preserving continuity across generations.

In this final conversation, held days before his death, Paolo Portoghesi reflects on architecture as a poetic and psychological act. The dialogue touches on Jungian archetypes, cinematic memory, and the possibility of restoring Casa Papanice as a house-museum. Themes of perception, participation, and resistance to reductive modernism emerge as Portoghesi and Cardillo discuss gardens, colours, and the soul of space. A rare moment of mutual recognition, where architecture becomes a vessel for philosophy, affection and continuity.

This lecture explores architecture as a symbolic and psychological act, where ancient archetypes and cultural opposites converge in spatial form. Through seven interpretations of his own works, the speaker reflects on Plato’s cave, Wagner’s mythology, Jung’s analytical psychology and the sacred eroticism of architectural signs. The talk culminates in a meditation on the tension between culture and civilisation, proposing architecture as a vessel for the intuitive function—a mirror of the soul’s unknown background, and a resistance to the utilitarianism of modernity.

This lecture draws a parallel between the 1988 video game Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders and the architectural work House of Dust. Through a reflection on pixel abstraction, symbolic narration and simplified representation, the talk explores how early digital aesthetics shaped a critical approach to space and perception. Themes of simulation, memory and psychological inversion emerge as the speaker recounts a personal journey from virtual houses to built form, proposing architecture as a medium for storytelling and inner transformation.

This lecture explores the genesis of the Off Club in Rome as a psychological and symbolic space. Drawing on Jungian theory, the talk traces the intuitive function from inner vision to built form, revealing how sacred and erotic archetypes shape architectural language. Themes include the etymology of architectural words, the phenomenology of colour and light, and the role of representation in constructing meaning. The project is framed as a mandala-temple veiled by a screen, where perceptual ambiguity and symbolic resonance invite deeper reflection on the soul of space.

This lecture explores the symbolic and psychological resonance of vaults, grottoes and arches, tracing their decline in modern architecture and their enduring presence in the collective imagination. Drawing on Heidegger and Jung, the talk critiques the dominance of rational thought and the fetishisation of purity, proposing polychromy as a universal language of inclusion and evocation. Architecture is reframed as a sensual and sacred act, where ancient forms and colours reconnect us with the archetypal depths of Being.

The interview explores formative influences from Sicily and Rome, the narrative potential of architecture, and symbolic archetypes such as the grotto and arch. Themes of sensuality, minimal syntax, and philosophical depth emerge, alongside reflections on the challenges of producing meaningful architecture in a superficial cultural climate.

This interview reflects on colour as a narrative device and architecture as a codex of protection and eroticism. Through projects such as Crepuscular Green, House of Dust and Colour as a Narrative, it explores the symbolic resonance of materials, the rejection of minimalism, and the pursuit of atmospheres that unveil the invisible. The grotto and the arch emerge as archetypes of the sacred, while prestige is redefined as the capacity to embody magic.

This lecture reflects on the manipulation of history, the illusion of professionalism, and the integrity of architectural creation. Through the lens of the Seven Houses for No One, the talk critiques the fetishisation of built form and the dominance of commercial narratives. Architecture is reframed as a literary and mythopoetic act, where imagination precedes construction and representation becomes a vessel for deeper meaning. The speaker calls for a return to sacred space and storytelling, resisting the flattening effects of journalism, client-driven design and industrial fragmentation.

This interview reflects on the idea of references as acts of permanence and love, rather than intellectual quotation. Published as part of a feature on seven selected architectural offices, it explores the symbolic resonance of memory, tradition and the sacred. Through the sculpture Min for the Sir John Soane’s Museum and the gallery Crepuscular Green in Rome, it considers how references can become vessels of meaning—shards of life beyond death—when synchronised with emotional intent. Architecture is framed as a poetic testimony, resisting trivialisation and reclaiming its metaphysical depth.

This lecture presents the House of Dust as a metaphorical space shaped by memory, tactility and psychological inversion. Drawing on Persian etymology, Renaissance grottoes and video game logic, the talk explores the role of dust as both material and symbol—challenging modern ideals of cleanliness and exposure. Through dualities of colour, symmetry and form, the house becomes a screenplay of eros and concealment, where rustic plaster, pink light and phallic arches evoke a sensual archaeology of domestic space. Architecture is reframed as a journey through sediment, ambiguity and revelation.

This manifesto calls for a return to architecture as a syncretic, critical and poetic act. It denounces the corporatisation of design, the obsession with novelty, and the erasure of historical meaning. Architecture is framed as a solitary journey, a collision of fragments and a resurrection of interrupted tales. Small scale becomes a site of resistance, where imagination and memory prevail over branding and spectacle. The text advocates for spaces that transcend function, embody time, and restore the literary and emotional dimension of the built environment.

Recorded inside the House of Dust in Rome, this interview explores the theatrical and conceptual nature of the space, where architectural elements evoke ambiguity and narrative tension. The conversation delves into the subversive strategy of publishing fictional projects to challenge the conventions of architectural media, blurring the line between built work and imagined form. Architecture is framed as poetic resistance, where truth emerges through artistic fabrication and radical autonomy.

Composed for the unveiling of the House of Dust, this poem reflects on dust as both material and metaphor—evoking memory, death and the origins of architecture. In opposition to modernity’s sanitised surfaces, dust becomes a symbol of sediment, tactility and transience. The poem was recited by Paula O’Brien in a sonic interpretation featuring her voice and original electronic composition, conceived and produced specifically for this work. The audio performance transforms the text into a ritual of atmosphere and resonance.

This layered interview unfolds as a philosophical dialogue on identity, perception and the nature of architectural imagination. Through metaphors of mirrors, dreams and renderings, the conversation explores the ambiguity between truth and fiction, authorship and multiplicity. References to Piranesi, Cocteau, Pessoa and Borges frame a reflection on architecture as poetic resistance, where the designer becomes both observer and virus—acting from within language to shape mutable realities.

This interview explores the political and poetic dimensions of architecture, from small-scale experimentation to critiques of urban planning and consumerist spectacle. The conversation touches on elegance versus luxury, the dissolution of authorship, and the dangers of architectural imperialism. Through reflections on criticism, participation and media, architecture emerges as a fragile act of resistance—one that must dissolve into collective meaning to remain democratic and alive.

This interview traces the origins of a design sensibility shaped by Mediterranean culture, cinematic imagery and historical reflection. It explores architecture as a narrative art, rooted in traditional techniques and resistant to ephemeral trends. The conversation touches on the influence of music and film, the rejection of contemporary art as commodity, and the aspiration to create timeless spaces. Istanbul emerges as a source of inspiration, where Byzantine and Ottoman forms inform a poetic architectural language.

This reflection explores the visionary power of James Stirling’s architecture, published as part of a feature with eight leading international architects. From the Engineering Department at Leicester University to the Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, it considers Stirling’s oscillation between modernist vocabulary and historical references. The text draws parallels with Melnikov and BBPR, proposing Stirling’s work as meta-historical—capable of communicating across time. Architecture is framed as a truncated narrative, where synthesis and rupture coexist in a dialogue with memory and form.

This lecture traces the evolution of a design practice shaped by video games, computer graphics and historical architecture. From early experiments with raytracing in Let There Be More Light to the radiosity-based Ellipse 1501 House, the talk explores how light simulation techniques influence architectural imagination. Themes of concealment, duality and surprise emerge as alternatives to the transparency of modern minimalism. Architecture is reframed as a labyrinthine experience—where darkness reveals light, and rendering becomes a tool for poetic speculation rather than persuasive illusion.

This interview explores architecture as a poetic and musical process, shaped by memory, rhythm and emotional resonance. Themes include the rejection of stylistic codification, the role of light and silence, and the influence of music and cinema on spatial composition. The conversation touches on historical contamination, the multiplicity of futures, and the paradox of architecture as both power and beauty. Each project is seen as a portrait, a fragment of identity, and a shared act of imagination.

This interview explores architecture as a narrative and critical act, shaped by memory, light and historical stratification. Themes include the rejection of luxury, the role of radiance in spatial design, and the tension between rational form and expressive identity. The conversation touches on the influence of music and cinema, the archetypal nature of housing, and the idea that beauty lies in spaces that transcend their original function. Architecture is framed as a timeless pursuit, rooted in values rather than trends.

This essay explores architecture as a medium of light and imagination, where reverberation becomes a measure of spatial depth. Drawing parallels with music, the text reflects on opacity, concealment and the evocative power of remote places. Through references to John Soane’s paintings and the ruins of Villa Adriana, the article critiques the transparency of modern architecture, proposing instead a poetics of sedimentation, suggestion and luminous decay. Architecture is framed not as object, but as instrument—where light performs and memory resonates.

This essay explores Rome as a fragmented narrative and Hadrian’s Villa as its miniature echo. Drawing on Colin Rowe’s Collage City and Le Corbusier’s Voyage d’Orient, the article reflects on architecture as a stratified memory—where perception, alteration and distortion shape meaning. Rome is framed not as a city of signs, but as a labyrinth of passions and betrayals, written and rewritten on stone. In contrast to the illusory spectacle of Las Vegas, the historic city becomes a vessel of truth, manipulation and beauty—an endless novel of time and transformation.

This interview centres on the House of Convexities, a residence near Barcelona inspired by Mediterranean rhythm and Flamenco dance. The conversation explores the fluidity of architectural function, the poetic interplay of light and form, and the rejection of conventional domesticity. Architecture is framed as a meditative experience, where natural phenomena shape daily life and spaces evolve beyond their original purpose. The house becomes a vessel for rhythm, memory and transformation.

This interview explores the emotional and poetic dimensions of architecture, where sunlight, history and music shape contemplative spaces. The conversation touches on the rejection of trends, the importance of memory, and the role of love as a generative force. Architecture is framed as a personal and expressive act, born from fragments of experience and designed for those who seek resonance with nature and time. The house becomes a vessel for reverberation—of light, sound and meaning.

This brief interview recounts the moment a teenage fascination with towers sparked a lifelong pursuit of architecture. A chance encounter with a small electrical structure in the Sicilian countryside led to a summer immersed in architectural dictionaries, igniting a desire to inhabit elevated solitude. The tower becomes a metaphor for imagination, introspection and the beginning of a personal journey through space and form.

This article offers a critical reflection on the state of Italian architecture, tracing its historical entanglements and cultural contradictions. From the legacy of Eastern influences to the crisis of modernism, the text critiques the collusion between academia and politics, the erosion of critical consciousness, and the commodification of architectural imagery. Architecture is reframed as a spatial opera—experienced through journeys, not icons—and called to resist the photogenic ephemera of media-driven design. A plea for complexity, memory and the rediscovery of timelessness in the built environment.

This travel essay recounts a journey along the Nile, reflecting on Egypt’s layered history and the Western imagination. From the romanticised iconography of ancient Egypt to the lived reality of its rural banks, the text explores themes of memory, myth and historical manipulation. Tombs become books carved in stone, where architecture and writing merge in a synthesis of time and belief. The cult of Osiris, the politics of erasure, and the sediment of daily life reveal a civilisation obsessed with eternity—and the paradox of its fading presence.