Complexity (from the Latin verb ‘plectere’ = to weave, ‘cum’ = together) is a condition in which many elements intertwine together to form a unit. The ‘complexity’ of the Planet’s condition is evident: climate change, according to Amitav Ghosh (2017), is not a danger in itself but rather represents a ‘threat multiplier’ that stresses and amplifies the instability and insecurity already present in some areas of the world, even more so because many industrialised countries have already greatly exceeded their relative ‘biocapacity’, effectively becoming ‘ecological debtors’. In this view, ‘complex’ should be brought back to its etymological meaning of ‘woven’ or ‘held together’, connecting different forms of knowledge in the virtuous circle of a body of knowledge articulated in a systemic view of the real world based on the principle of ‘co-evolution’ of social and ecological systems (of culture and nature) and the awareness that it determines; on the one hand, the interweaving of multiple causal chains (e.g., although the pandemic crisis is a health crisis it has also become a biological, ecological, economic, social, cultural and spiritual crisis) with interdependent effects, and on the other hand, effects that also retroact on causes since causality is circular. According to Ceruti and Bardi (2021), unfortunately, it isn’t easy to translate this vision into the workings of everyday life and to guide both the observation of the world and the project, which is an expression of our being in the world. How we live, regardless of where this happens, has an impact on the biosphere and determines chain reactions in different areas that affect both nature and human beings on a global scale: climate change, health risks, loss of biodiversity, indiscriminate use of non-renewable resources, inequalities, and accessibility contribute to a condition of ‘polycrysis’ that amplifies the state of uncertainty about our future and the vulnerability of the entire ecosystem, especially since the actions put in place do not address the cogent environmental issue in a systemic and holistic key. Therefore, the question is, how do we transform complexity from challenge to opportunity? How do we deal with the complex issues that concern the knowledge, the design, and the management of the built compared to the now essential pragmatic indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability? Which strategies, measures, actions, and tools can Architecture disciplines implement in a holistic view and with a systems approach to meet the terms of the Paris Agreement? How do we identify those with the best cost/benefit ratio capable of producing synergies to achieve the largest possible number of the Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations? How do we rethink extractive (production-based) economic systems and direct them toward regenerative ones (based on the enhancement of that which already exists and of services)? How to put into practice new systemic design approaches capable of addressing today’s complexities from their roots, developing solutions through which entire societies can intentionally transition to a more sustainable, equitable, and desirable long-term future, including through co-created visions capable of informing the solutions of the present and paving the way to a desirable future? How do we place knowledge and learning into a system to better understand the current era’s multidimensional, fundamental, and global issues in their irreducible complexity? The articles published in issue 16 of AGATHÓN offer valuable insights into addressing the complex issues surrounding the knowledge, design, and management of the built environment in light of the increasingly urgent pragmatic indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, demonstrating that the complexity of the built environment, rather than being a challenge, can become an opportunity to advance the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The published contributions certainly do not fully encompass the fields of inquiry, strategies, measures, and actions that the scientific community and the construction sector can implement to contain human activity within planetary boundaries and make both the built environment and biophysical systems more resilient. However, they provide an initial theoretical-practical framework on the topic, which will hopefully contribute to stimulating the scientific debate and inspire new research initiatives based on multiscalar approaches, capable of leveraging the potential of digital technologies to address the pressing challenges of contemporary times, including the global goals of climate and carbon neutrality.

La ‘complessità’ (dal verbo latino ‘plectere’ = intrecciare, ‘cum’ = insieme) è una condizione nella quale sono presenti tanti elementi interconnessi a formare un’unità. La complessità della condizione in cui versa il Pianeta è evidente: il cambiamento climatico, secondo Amitav Ghosh (2017), non è un pericolo in sé, ma rappresenta un ‘moltiplicatore di minacce’ che stressa e amplifica l’instabilità e l’insicurezza già presenti in alcune aree del mondo, ancor di più perché molti Paesi industrializzati hanno già superato notevolmente la relativa ‘biocapacità’, diventando di fatto ‘debitori ecologici’. In quest’ottica il ‘complesso’ va riportato al suo significato etimologico di ‘tessuto’ o ‘tenuto insieme’, connettendo i saperi nel circolo virtuoso di una conoscenza che si articola in una visione sistemica del mondo reale fondata sul principio di ‘coevoluzione’ dei sistemi sociali e dei sistemi ecologici (di cultura e natura) e sulla consapevolezza che essa determina, da un lato l’intreccio di molteplici catene causali (ad esempio, la crisi da pandemia oltre che sanitaria è diventata anche crisi biologica, ecologica, economica, sociale, culturale e spirituale) con effetti interdipendenti, dall’altro effetti che retroagiscono anche sulle cause perché la causalità è circolare; secondo Ceruti e Bardi (2021) purtroppo questa visione stenta a tradursi nell’operatività del quotidiano e nel guidare sia l’osservazione del mondo sia il progetto, che è espressione del nostro essere nel mondo. Le modalità di vita, indipendentemente dal luogo, hanno un impatto sulla biosfera e determinano reazioni a catena in ambiti differenti che influenzano tanto la natura quanto l’essere umano a scala globale: cambiamento climatico, rischi per la salute, perdita della biodiversità, uso indiscriminato delle risorse non rinnovabili, ineguaglianze e accessibilità concorrono a una condizione di ‘policrisi’ che amplifica lo stato di incertezza sul nostro futuro e la vulnerabilità dell’intero ecosistema, soprattutto perché le azioni progettuali messe in campo non affrontano la cogente questione ambientale in chiave sistemica e olistica. E allora, come trasformare la complessità da sfida a opportunità? Come affrontare le complesse questioni che riguardano la conoscenza, il progetto e la gestione del costruito rispetto agli ormai imprescindibili pragmatici indicatori di sostenibilità ambientale, sociale ed economica? Quali le strategie, le misure, le azioni e gli strumenti che le aree disciplinari dell’Architettura possono mettere in campo in una visione olistica e con approccio sistemico per rispettare i termini dell’Accordo di Parigi? Come individuare quelle con il miglior rapporto costo/benefici e capaci di produrre sinergie per il raggiungimento del maggior numero possibile degli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile promossi dalla Nazioni Unite? Come ripensare i sistemi economici estrattivi (basati sulla produzione) e indirizzarli verso quelli rigenerativi (basati sulla valorizzazione dell’esistente e sui servizi)? Come mettere in pratica nuovi approcci progettuali sistemici capaci di affrontare la complessità del presente dalle radici, sviluppando soluzioni attraverso le quali intere società possano intenzionalmente passare a un futuro a lungo termine più sostenibile, equo e desiderabile – anche attraverso visioni co-create – per informare le soluzioni del presente e aprire la strada verso un futuro auspicabile? Come mettere a sistema conoscenze e saperi per meglio cogliere le questioni multidimensionali, fondamentali e globali dell’epoca attuale nella loro irriducibile complessità? Gli articoli pubblicati sul volume 16 di AGATHÓN forniscono alcune risposte per affrontare le complesse questioni che riguardano la conoscenza, il progetto e la gestione del costruito rispetto agli ormai imprescindibili pragmatici indicatori di sostenibilità ambientale, sociale ed economica, dimostrando che la complessità del costruito da sfida può diventare opportunità per raggiungere i 17 Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile. I contributi pubblicati certamente non esauriscono i campi di indagine, le strategie, le misure e le azioni che la comunità scientifica e il settore delle costruzioni possono mettere in campo per contenere l’azione antropica entro i limiti planetari e rendere più resilienti il costruito e i sistemi biofisici, tuttavia restituiscono un primo quadro teorico-pratico sul tema che si auspica possa contribuire ad alimentare il dibattito scientifico e stimolare nuove azioni di ricerca improntate ad approcci multiscalari e capaci di mettere in valore le potenzialità delle tecnologie digitali atte alle cogenti le sfide della contemporaneità, comprese quelle globali della neutralità climatica e carbonica.

Sposito, C., Scalisi, f. (2024). AFFRONTARE LA COMPLESSITÀ : conoscenza, progetto e gestione dell’ambiente costruito. AGATHÓN, 16, 2-15 [10.19229/2464-9309/1602024].

AFFRONTARE LA COMPLESSITÀ : conoscenza, progetto e gestione dell’ambiente costruito

Sposito, Cesare;Scalisi, francesca
2024-12-30

Abstract

Complexity (from the Latin verb ‘plectere’ = to weave, ‘cum’ = together) is a condition in which many elements intertwine together to form a unit. The ‘complexity’ of the Planet’s condition is evident: climate change, according to Amitav Ghosh (2017), is not a danger in itself but rather represents a ‘threat multiplier’ that stresses and amplifies the instability and insecurity already present in some areas of the world, even more so because many industrialised countries have already greatly exceeded their relative ‘biocapacity’, effectively becoming ‘ecological debtors’. In this view, ‘complex’ should be brought back to its etymological meaning of ‘woven’ or ‘held together’, connecting different forms of knowledge in the virtuous circle of a body of knowledge articulated in a systemic view of the real world based on the principle of ‘co-evolution’ of social and ecological systems (of culture and nature) and the awareness that it determines; on the one hand, the interweaving of multiple causal chains (e.g., although the pandemic crisis is a health crisis it has also become a biological, ecological, economic, social, cultural and spiritual crisis) with interdependent effects, and on the other hand, effects that also retroact on causes since causality is circular. According to Ceruti and Bardi (2021), unfortunately, it isn’t easy to translate this vision into the workings of everyday life and to guide both the observation of the world and the project, which is an expression of our being in the world. How we live, regardless of where this happens, has an impact on the biosphere and determines chain reactions in different areas that affect both nature and human beings on a global scale: climate change, health risks, loss of biodiversity, indiscriminate use of non-renewable resources, inequalities, and accessibility contribute to a condition of ‘polycrysis’ that amplifies the state of uncertainty about our future and the vulnerability of the entire ecosystem, especially since the actions put in place do not address the cogent environmental issue in a systemic and holistic key. Therefore, the question is, how do we transform complexity from challenge to opportunity? How do we deal with the complex issues that concern the knowledge, the design, and the management of the built compared to the now essential pragmatic indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability? Which strategies, measures, actions, and tools can Architecture disciplines implement in a holistic view and with a systems approach to meet the terms of the Paris Agreement? How do we identify those with the best cost/benefit ratio capable of producing synergies to achieve the largest possible number of the Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations? How do we rethink extractive (production-based) economic systems and direct them toward regenerative ones (based on the enhancement of that which already exists and of services)? How to put into practice new systemic design approaches capable of addressing today’s complexities from their roots, developing solutions through which entire societies can intentionally transition to a more sustainable, equitable, and desirable long-term future, including through co-created visions capable of informing the solutions of the present and paving the way to a desirable future? How do we place knowledge and learning into a system to better understand the current era’s multidimensional, fundamental, and global issues in their irreducible complexity? The articles published in issue 16 of AGATHÓN offer valuable insights into addressing the complex issues surrounding the knowledge, design, and management of the built environment in light of the increasingly urgent pragmatic indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, demonstrating that the complexity of the built environment, rather than being a challenge, can become an opportunity to advance the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The published contributions certainly do not fully encompass the fields of inquiry, strategies, measures, and actions that the scientific community and the construction sector can implement to contain human activity within planetary boundaries and make both the built environment and biophysical systems more resilient. However, they provide an initial theoretical-practical framework on the topic, which will hopefully contribute to stimulating the scientific debate and inspire new research initiatives based on multiscalar approaches, capable of leveraging the potential of digital technologies to address the pressing challenges of contemporary times, including the global goals of climate and carbon neutrality.
30-dic-2024
Settore CEAR-08/C - Progettazione tecnologica e ambientale dell'architettura
Sposito, C., Scalisi, f. (2024). AFFRONTARE LA COMPLESSITÀ : conoscenza, progetto e gestione dell’ambiente costruito. AGATHÓN, 16, 2-15 [10.19229/2464-9309/1602024].
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