Edifici-città

A skyscraper is not just a “great” architecture, an example of structural, distributive, linguistic and stylistic solutions characteristic of a large building; on the contrary, it is the true framework that unites, and separates, a complex fragment of humanity. Such a building does not take the form of just any tower; it is a true social pyramid, well defined in its relations and hierarchies, in its services and opportunities. A condominium3 is therefore a complex aggregation of private properties connected by shared or public parts, and the social idea that meets these requirements is one of sharing rather than of intimacy. Such a building, regardless of its size, location or morphology, puts the needs and hopes of distinct individuals into contact; dynamics comparable to those of a whole city develop within it, triggering relations, and sometimes also conflicts, characteristic of certain social unities. As the urban form is determined by bonds of association and public assistance, hierarchic expression of private life and collective needs, likewise a condominium stages a smaller version of the same relations, even if on an architectural scale. Residential buildings housing several families are, when they are not a banal aggregation of apartments without any significant form but an intensive exploitation of space, the expression of an idea of community, organized around itineraries and spaces that represent its very reason for existing.