Bruno Zevi and the Ethics of Organic Architecture

In July 1945, the Italian architect and architectural historian, Bruno Zevi, published his seminal book Verso un'architettura organica (Towards an Organic Architecture). Within its pages, Zevi refers to and repudiates prevalent ideas of modern architecture that promoted functionalism as a guiding principle for architecture. Building upon the discourse of the German-American architect Walter Curt Behrendt, Zevi extended his criticism and explained that inorganic architecture, mainly functionalist, is a product of rational thought, contemptuous of nature, universal and idealistic. Based on classic geometry, the inorganic is static and seeks systems and rules. A tireless advocate of the organic, Zevi believed architecture should reject these principles and become a product of intuitive sensation, stem from nature, adhere to the particular, aspire to be realistic, grow out of its own individual rules, strive to be dynamic and apply irregular forms. The essay, Bruno Zevi and the Ethics of Organic Architecture, returns to Zevi's discourse and discusses its moral stance in relation to organic architecture and life. It also examines the architectural examples that Zevi used to exemplify his theory and delves into the design principles Zevi set forth for organic architecture. The essay concludes with a discussion of the impact, influence and ethics of Zevi's theory.