New frontiers of stereotomic stone architecture

The lecture aims to show the unexpressed potential of structural stone and digital stereotomy for contemporary architecture. The term «stereotomy» in architectural literature was used for the first time in 1644 in Curabelle's Examen des oeuvres de Sr. Desargues. The vaulted space has always represented the ideal environment for making the most sophisticated and complex reflections on architectural construction. This is especially true for stereotomic architecture. According to Philibert de l'Orme, architectural production based on the use of stereotomy has constantly focused on the paradox that could make the heavy stone masonry appear to be an aerial structure, «suspendue en l'air» (suspended in the air ). Talking about stereotomic design means assuming a theoretical/practical reference paradigm suitable for the realization of architectures conceived according to the use of vaulted architectural systems and/or elements resistant in shape constituted by discrete and dry-jointed units. This paradigm can be ascribed to traditional building techniques, specifically in stone and wood, where the concept of the connection of the constituent parts of the building represents the distinctive feature of the architectural character and expressiveness.

Today, stereotomy is unfortunately absent both from construction practice and from school teachings, resulting in only the object of partial and isolated research in the context of the history of construction. The lecture fundamentally questions the possibility of reconnecting the cut thread of research on freestone construction by tracing the uneven plots of stereotomic culture in order to return the creative thrust, innate therein, to contemporary architectural design. The arguments adduced demonstrate the absolute vitality of the stereotomic lesson projected, perhaps, into a new future.