The very essence of architecture consists of a variety and development reminiscent of natural organic life. This is the only true style in architecture.
The tubular steel chair is surely rational from technical and constructive points of view. It is light, suitable for mass production, and so on. But steel and chromium surfaces are not satisfactory from the human point of view.
The best standardisation committee in the world is nature herself, but in nature standardisation occurs mainly in connection with the smallest possible units: cells. The result is millions of flexible combinations in which one never encounters the stereotyped.
Just as it takes time for a speck of fish spawn to develop into a fully grown fish, so, too, we need time for everything that develops and crystallizes in the world of ideas. Architecture demands more of this time than other creative work.
Form must have a content, and that content must be linked with nature.
Every one of my buildings begins with an Italian journey.
Even the smallest daily chore can be humanized with the harmony of culture.
Architecture is not merely national but clearly has local ties in that it is rooted in the earth.
Architecture belongs to culture, not to civilization.
Once I tried to make a standardization of staircases. Probably that is one of the oldest of the standardizations. Of course, we design new staircase steps every day in connection with all our houses, but a standardized step depends on the height of the buildings and on all kinds of things.
