Italy Under Construction 2012-2020 / Catalogue

29 related to what would be a more traditional process.

As a consequence of being open to calling (almost) everything into question, Elastico’s projects differ widely each other, although they are clearly all related.

Yet, as Pujatti ironically states, “our buildings are like the cows of a herd, they are all different but they all belong to the same family.” As a matter of fact, it is altogether possible to isolate some common traits in the architectural production of Elastico, which can be found in some or all of their projects, and which, rather than a “style,” define a series of key points through which their work can be better understood.

First: many of their buildings possess an organic, inside-out spatiality, achieved through interiors that are defined by a sequence of sensual spaces full of light, matter and time. It is a four-dimensional space, meant to be experienced dynamically by the eye of the observer, whose moving body is the generator of the surrounding geometry, bringing about a kinesthetic effect that is not so far from that of the promenade architecturale (e.g., the Yuppie Ranch House, Top Gun, and the Golf House). Second: architecture and place, artificial and natural, they all play together in Elastico’s buildings, which organically react to the specific conditions of their context—intended in the widest possible sense of climate, topography, materials, building techniques and regulations, collective imaginary, budget, etc. As a result, their architecture seems to emerge naturally from the cultural landscape, reinforcing a coherent—but often unexpected— genius loci (e.g., the Atelier Fleuriste, Slow Horse, and Jesolo).

Third: a picturesque kind of beauty can be found in the projects of Elastico, which is achieved through the rough treatment of textures, the creation of material contrasts, the combination of artificial and natural elements and the fascination with poor/aging/ruined materials. The work is also composed along sinuous lines of force, the construction of spatial intricacy and the juxtaposition of extraordinary and ordinary elements (e.g., the Yuppie Ranch House, Proactive Uncertainty