Exploring Ideal Landscapes at Festival Pianeta 2030

The relationship between architecture and nature is a symbiosis with neither beginning nor end: even Vitruvius examined the interplay between the firmitas of constructed art—aimed at protection and care—and the venustas of nature, a beauty that supports human well-being.

The difference between the two disciplines lies in their mindset: architecture embodies verticality—according to Gio Ponti, a jewel to be set within the passepartout of nature—while landscape architecture represents horizontality, symbolizing a constantly evolving world made up of many factors: air, soil, temperature, and people themselves.

We have moved from the era of construction to that of cultivation: it is no longer necessary to build from scratch but rather to reuse what already exists. Architecture and cities must return to being Nature-Positive. Today, every architectural project has a natural value, and the relationships between built and unbuilt environments must open up new scenarios.

The unbuilt has indeed gained primary importance: the new paradigm makes Nature’s capital visible through the measurement of ecosystem services.

This economy of nature blends aesthetics with the ethics of recovery, sustainability, and awareness.

Only by taking these dynamics into account will it be possible to move from ideal landscapes to real ones, grounded in a genuine listening to the territory and its inhabitants.