NEO - RATIONALIST MOVEMENT

A new rationalist movement in architecture started developing in the late 1960s, citing both the Enlightenment and the rationalism of the early 20th century as sources of inspiration. Like the earlier rationalists, the movement, known as the Tendenza, was centered in Italy

It emphasized the autonomy of architecture and its need to redefine it in terms of types with rules for the rational incorporating of all its aspects, in contrast to the dogmas of International Modernism and the common tendency to regard architecture solely as a commodity. Rejecting the idea that architecture stops and begins with technology, it emphasized the social and cultural significance of existing urban buildings and maintained that the vast vocabulary of historical forms was an effective tool for innovative creativity. This upset the Modern Movement’s orthodoxy, and therefore the derogatory moniker Neo-Liberty was assigned to its early expressions. Rossi’s book L’architettura della città, published in 1966, and translated into English as The Architecture of the City in 1982, explored several of the ideas that inform Neo-rationalism. In seeking to develop an understanding of the city beyond simple functionalism, Rossi revives the idea of typology, following from Quatremère de Quincy, as a method for understanding buildings, as well as the larger city. He also writes of the importance of monuments as expressions of the collective memory of the city, and the idea of place as an expression of both physical reality and history

Casa del Fascio - Bruno Zevi - 1928

Rigour and the functionalism promoted by the Fascist regime are translated into the constructive shapes of Casa del Fascio

Potsdamerplatz, Abb-roland - George Grassi - 1993

Meant to resemble Rossi’s abstract concepts. He furthered the Neo rationalist movement through simplicity and urban areas