SUSTAINABILITY| From Firmitas To Temporis

From Firmitas to Temporis Since the term “sustainability” emerged, its definitions have always been declined in the future tense; “to avoid the depletion of resources”, “the ability to be maintained in a status”, “to not compromise the future generations”: all these definitions embody the notion of Time.

This is due to the symbiotic relationship that exists between Sustainability, Time and Temporality, the latter defined as “related to time rather than eternity”.

Sustainable Architecture is to design in four dimensions, Space and Time.

It is to design the life and death of a building rather than its birth only.

This concept implies the change from a timeless to a “mortal” architectural product. Architecture, as meant since the profession itself was born, is in crisis: the Vitruvian architectural tenet of “Firmitas”, meant as inert, static, singular and Cartesian-like solid, collapses in favour of its opposite: “Temporis”, meant as temporary, unpredictable, plastic and multiple. Time introduces uncertainties that threaten the primacy of space. Ideas such as eternity and stability are terms that deny the reality of the situations that Sustainable Architecture faces.

Temporality affects architecture independently from the architect’s wish.

The architectural product evades the designer control over time, changing its functions and eventually dying or being “mummified” as a monument.

Architecture traditionally focused on the prime form of a building, neglecting the conflict that arises between form, something designed as fixed, and function, something that is now fluid, unpredictable and multiple.

Therefore, sustainable architecture differs from the tradition by considering all buildings as in a process of change or evolution over time. This implies to admit that a building is never truly finished and the architect’s idealized vision is not one that will remain stable over time. An architecture that integrates temporality does not define a permanent entity, but rather leaves itself open to changes of use and interpretations.

Anyway, the static aspect of architecture is not overwhelmed by time but is redefined by it. This new paradigm is the essence of sustainability and has the potential to open up new sustainable perspectives, embracing, rather than resisting, the natural forces of change.

In conclusion, sustainability is bringing the time dimension in Architecture with topics such as adaptability, flexibility, resilience and life cycle design. Only when the concept of sustainability as the design of time and space will be congenital of our architects we will witness what Sustainable Architecture is.