Gio Ponti: architettura, tempo, materia

Gio Ponti has proposed in his writings a significant reflection on the relationship between architecture, time and construction materials, where architecture does not presuppose immutability and does not associate time with decay. Ponti’s statements introduce us to an apparent contradiction with respect to the famous assimilation of his architecture to crystals. Indeed, Ponti is aware of a paradox of modern architecture: it requires time to be alive, but it is constantly forced to oppose it because it seems unable to age. The paper discusses the two alternatives that Ponti proposes (technical architecture and natural architecture) and discusses his ideas in the cultural context at the time on restoration, durability, care and new modern materials. Finally, a contribution is proposed here to a conservation perspective in which the aging of the Modern could be a matter of cultural appropriation.