Learning about Giancarlo De Carlo

Giancarlo De Carlo (1919–2005), an Italian architect, planner, writer and educator. He studied structural engineering before the World War II and was enthusiastic in the resistance movement. He was an ardent promoter of the “architecture of resistance”, standing against the static autocratic thinking in architecture and urban design. After the war, he graduated from architecture school and quickly got involved in the forward-looking development of the Italian architecture. The period of governmental unrest brought about his outlook toward life and architecture.

De Carlo was one of the establishing associates of Team X. They confronted the modernist doctorines by the Congres Internationaux D’architecture Modeme (CIAM). He was the driving force of the advocacy of participation in architecture. He championed the libertarian ways and regionalism through his works in exhibitions, design, writings and teachings.

His works and theories were exemplified in his mindful planning of the historic city of Urbino, Italy, re-inhabitancy of the university’s convent ground into an art’s building as well as the Matteotti workers housing in Temi, Italy. This can also be seen in his writings and curation of exhibitions. De Carlo took on a socio-political, economic stand point in his discourse for participation architecture. His commitment and passion was observed in his teachings as the University of Venice, Milan Polytechnic as well as, internationally, at Yale and Massachusetts. Later on, he started the International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design (ILAUD), where challenged designs as mere scholarly examinations and used designs to investigate matters of contention and promote “indirect participation”.

References:
 Giancarlo De Carlo and the Question of why, (Pg 306 to 310), Annalisa Meyboom, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Giancarlo De Carlo, Individual — Urbino, Italy, taken from Spatial Agency on 5 Feb 2016, http://www.spatialagency.net/database/why/political/giancarlo.de.carlo

Giancarol De Carlo, Architecture Week, 2013, http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Giancarlo_de_Carlo.html

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