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1Issue 12 of “Ardeth” focuses on the three keywords “beautiful, sustainable, together” offered by the New European Bauhaus initiative, which was unveiled in September 2020 by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
2The objectives of “Ardeth” are reflected in this decision in some significant ways. Beginning with its second issue, “Ardeth” headed each publication with words that indicated – one at a time – debatable subjects and significant aspects to comprehend the practises of contemporary architecture projects. With Issue 12, there is a pause for reflection and a fresh start. In actuality, highlighting reoccurring keywords reflects the paradigmatic shift of recent years.
3The project’s horizon has recently shifted onto some problematic nodes as a result of the climatic and environmental emergency and the pause in our lives caused by the pandemic emergency. These problematic nodes are evoked by recurrent words in the project’s narrative, as well as those of research, politics, and institutions: sustainability, transition, circularity, biodiversity, accessibility, poverty, diversity, etc. The United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, which was distilled into the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, corresponds to where these terms first find their concreteness in political agendas and protocols.
4On the one hand, the present batch of recurring and emerging keywords serves as the foundation for design action; on the other hand, keywords have a significant capacity for serving as operational cues – they are “keys” in this sense.
5The goal of the “Ardeth” issues that will follow this issue 12 is to centre on pressing issues that, as Simona Chiodo rightly highlights in her editorial, demand the forward-looking thinking that characterizes project design.
6The knowledge of the significance that the built environment’s changes have played and will play in the process of the ecological, digital, and energy transition appears to be a key component of the New European Bauhaus initiative’s conceptualization. The three keywords “beautiful,” “sustainable,” and “together” thus touch on three areas that, in their intentions, tend to engage (European) citizens in the future sharing of a better built environment (“more beautiful,” “more sustainable,” and “more welcoming”) and present an intriguing challenge to the design disciplines.
7Several authors explored the three terms put out by the NEB by drawing comparisons with the foundational concepts of the discipline of architecture, beginning with the Vitruvian triad, as is well articulated in the editorial board’s introduction.
8Following this line of inquiry, the next issue of “Ardeth” will focus on the subject of “Energy Landscapes” or more precisely, the “spatiality of energy transition.”
9The objective, in keeping with “Ardeth” tradition, is to promote open international conversations and engage with other disciplines that are essential for fostering both the theory and practice of architectural design.
10The series I will be working on as director begins with Issue 12. I thank the Editorial Board for the significant work they have done and will continue to do, as well as the Scientific Committee, for their assistance with this project. My sincere gratitude is extended to Carlo Magnani, who has led “Ardeth” throughout its development and has provided our community with considerable opportunities for reflection, debate, and design research.
References
Bibliographical reference
Ilaria Valente, “Note from the Director”, Ardeth, 12 | 2023, 5-6.
Electronic reference
Ilaria Valente, “Note from the Director”, Ardeth [Online], 12 | 2023, Online since 01 March 2024, connection on 19 May 2026. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ardeth/3622
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