STRIPPING THE MODEL. SULLA NATURA VAGA DEL TIPO

This paper examines the concept of architectural type by comparing Italian and German theoretical positions, with a focus on terminology and classification systems. The core reflection lies in the epistemological divergence between assigning a term to a form versus identifying a form from a constitutive principle. This divergence complicates any attempt at a universal definition of type, exposing its inherent ambiguity. In the Italian theoretical context of the 1960s, thinkers such as Saverio Muratori and Aldo Rossi interpreted the type as a principle recognisable through the form. In contrast, German authors like Semper and Ungers assigned autonomous symbolic value to architectural terms, emphasising the cultural and linguistic meaning over formal characteristics.This distinction becomes particularly evident in architectural terminology: terms such as “Schloss”, “Palast”, and “Villa” in German carry specific historical and social connotations that do not align neatly with their Italian equivalents. Examples like Schloss Charlottenhof or the Berliner Schloss illustrate how the persistence of a name can obscure radical morphological shifts, making the tension between form and meaning visible.This paper does not claim to be exhaustive; rather, it aims to question a presumed universality of typological theory. It proposes to see type not as a fixed formal category but as a dynamic entity shaped by context, language, and cultural frameworks.