Architects transform the world with architecture, and regardless of the perspective adopted in discussing those transformations it all comes down to the forms the architects are able to produce or preserve. Despite the historical significance of form in architecture, the subject is frequently ignored in architectural debate. The Triennale publications — an English book published by Lars Müller and a series of Portuguese booklets — will explore a variety of ideas relating to form, not only through aesthetic and technological approaches but also from social and political positions. The contents underline the cultural and technical relevance of architecture to society.
The publications will be linked by a narrative sequence that unfolds in a number of episodes: one pertaining to form and authorship (The Form of Form), another focusing on processes and the construction of forms (Building Site), and a third on cities and the complexities of analysing and representing urban forms (The World in Our Eyes). The final episodes (The Limits of Landscape and Ruins of the Apocalypse) address the contemporary challenges of architectural practice. A series of four discussions in between the chapters connects the threads to form a cohesive theme that shapes the book.