AREA  Review of architectural and design projects The architecture is the territory of the persistence. To persist and a good aging perhaps are the true parameters for a right interpretation of designers's vitality and for the relevance of their architectures. And Area, ages well - even if, for a not very old review, may be is better to say that it grows very well. Starting by the graphic project realized by A G Fronzoni, whose work and teaching is first "an incomparable example of tenacity and coherence". In the review - published by Federico Motta Editore - is particularly convincing, the explaining technique adopted for the critical survey of the projects. In every number - with a very balanced exposure between images, critical texts, and technical plans - the architectures are collected and told by a fil rouge that gives the cover title. Of sure interest are also the ordinary sections devoted to readings, to new media and, particularly, to competition results and contemporary itinerary. Finally, even if numerically inferior, Area hosts also critical contributions on the contemporary design and critical texts on the design of the past century. To this purpose, the number 71 of Area, Demolition, is of remarkable interest for the included contributions by Silvana Annichiarico - curatrice of the Permanent Collection of Italian Design of the Trienale of Milan -, by Paolo Girardello - on the collaboration between Cassina and Filippo Alison for the production of furnishing elements designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - and by Marco Elia - focused on one of the finest pieces of the 20th century design projected by Gino Valle: the electromechanical clock Cifra 3 realized in fifties years by Solari. With 7x70 the bimonthly review, directed by Marco Casamonti, is ready to take stock of beyond 13 years of activity. An outcome that, avoiding the rhetoric of memories, is rather concentrated in the essential critical reading of 7 emblematic figures equally positively arrived at the threshold of the seventy. "Seven Masters over 70" - notes in its editorial Luca Molinari - "prometheans of our time, products of the postwar generation and thus, by natural vocation, with backgrounds permeated by doubt and by the crisis of modernism, and at the same time of classicism. Victims and instigators of the first international star system, global protagonists and restless worldwide travelers. But at the same time authors, designers with strong bonds to the operative, active, social idea of architecture, true modernist heritage that must not be lost". And the foreseen event in Genoa for January 14, 2004 is surerly a good opportunity in order to know and to recognize each other in a review of great depth that, as testifies the presentation of number 70, has reached the full publishing maturity. To the meeting - organized by Area, DIPARC Department of Planning and Construction of the Architecture of the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa and the Presidency of the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa in collaboration with Municipality of Genoa, Order of the architects, planners and landscapers of the province of Genoa, Aid'a and Federico Motta Editore - is titled 7x70 the best architects over 70 and will see the participation of the seven masters outlined by the review: Oriol Bohigas, Peter Eisenman, Herman Hertzberger, Arata Isozaki, Paolo Portoghesi,Alvaro Siza Vieira and Oswald Mathias Ungers. The conference take part in the official calendar of Genoa 2004 European Capital of Culture, and will be strongly characterized by the presence of the protagonists of the architecture of last the forty years that, for before the time entirety, will take part introducing their last realizations and being confronted on the topics more it puts into effect them in the contemporary architectonic debate. Every architect will be invited, in a round table that will be developed in the arc of a day, to offer his personal contribution, after an introducing critical readings by the curators of the essays included in the monographic number of the review: Bruno Gabrielli, Renato Rizzi, Herman Van Bergeijk,Marco Casamonti, Augusto Romano Burelli, Giovanni Leoni, Hans Stimmann. Programme of the Day Genoa. Porto Antico Area Magazzini del Cotone. Sale Maestrale e Grecale Hours 10.30 Opening Session with communications by: Giuliano Urbani / Giuseppe Pericu / Benedetta Spadolini / Franz Prati / Raffaele Sirica / Pio Baldi / Marco Casamonti / Domenico Podestà Hours 11.00 Round Table part I Bruno Gabrielli + Oriol Bohigas Renato Rizzi + Peter Eisenman Hours 14.30 Round Table part II Herman van Bergeijk + Herman Hertzberger Marco Casamonti + Arata Isozaki Augusto Romano Burelli + Paolo Portoghesi Hours 17.30 Round Table part III Giovanni Leoni + Alvaro Siza Vieira Hans Stimmann + Oswald Mathias Ungers Hours 19.30 Conclusions: Germano Celant / Franz Prati / Marco Casamonti Area Federico Motta Editore area@mottaeditore.it www.mottaeditore.it Redazione: 30/r via della Fornace - 50125 Firenze phone +39 055 683199 / fax +39 055 685193 redazione@area-arch.it www.area-arch.it

Text by:  Umberto Rovelli  I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. In cooperation with: Ignacio Diez de Tejata TOP