The evolutive design: the interpretation of the structure of the physical space in the architectural design

This essay introduces the theoretical and application principles of a model of analysis and spatial architectonic design called Evolutive Design. It is aimed, in the first place, at defining the “elemental components of space”, attributable to the historical-architectonic and environmental heritage, that belong to a circumscribed “landscape” and are prevalently identifiable as a “homogenous spatial region”. Subsequently, the model is useful to detect the degrees of relationship existing between the various “validated elemental components” that, therefore, can be identified as “resources”. This way it is possible to come to comprehend the more or less complex structure that characterises every single territory. At the same time, it is possible to comprehend the multiplicity of the (physical and immaterial) behaviours which are to be controlled for a correct design of the anthropic space, it being related to the building, the urban space or the extended territory. From here, the study model offers the potential to assess the degrees of bond that the project can assume with the surrounding resources as well as the effects that the project might generate on the surrounding spatial dynamics. Regardless of the choice to respect, enhance or alter some orders or degrees of connection between the “resources” of a specific “spatial region”, every project (of either restoration or new intervention), ends up altering the internal “status” of such system. Hence, the validity of a model capable of providing the designers and the public administration with an evolutive tool of knowledge and control of the territory. The paper is conceptual and foundational, synthesizing fragments from several different disciplines, including philosophy, software engineering, design theory. The paper is intended to raise awareness of the far-reaching implications of the architecture compared with the cultural context of belonging.