Referentiality of Generic Structures: Critique of Capitalist Urban Development in Works of Ludwig Hilberseimer, Archizoom, and Dogma Studio

Abstract

This article is based on the analysis of the referential relationship within three concepts for the development of the urban matrix: High-rise City by Ludwig Hilberseimer (1924), No-Stop City by studio Archizoom Associati (1969), and Stop City by architectural office DOGMA (2007). The three projects represent a critique of the growth and development of the city within the economic system and the sociocultural context of the time. This research argues that each project finds its formal expression through referencing the former, adopting the programmatic, formative, and linguistic structures, which enable the reading of the authors’ interpretations and positions in relation to the generic properties of the urban matrix. Furthermore, the research aims to reveal the referential relationship between the aforementioned projects by comparing the critical positions they represent and the elements that constitute them.