Giuseppe Gallo | Università degli Studi di Palermo (original) (raw)

Papers by Giuseppe Gallo

Proceedings IV International Conference Cultura y Ciudad, Communication architecture: from the origins of modernity to the digital age, 2024

Twenty years have passed since the advent of Web 2.0, a participatory revolution that has transfo... more Twenty years have passed since the advent of Web 2.0, a participatory revolution that has transformed communication, giving rise to fresh approaches to how architecture is conveyed. This paradigm shift is not without its significant caveat: the algorithmic rules governing web 2.0 emphasize virality and sensationalism. This phenomenon has steered architectural discourse away from technical drawings in favour of imagery. In this altered communication landscape, architects must now possess the ability to engage audiences, attention to prevailing trends, and even redefine design purposes. Evidenced by examples such as Casa Brutale, designed "to break the internet," and Steven Chilton, which garnered recognition and commissions through online exposure. Moreover, this evolving landscape has given rise to new figures, Very Important Designers: celebrities who conceptualize products for fashion and design brands and are now venturing into the world of architecture. Similarly, architectural firms have transformed into brands, competing in an increasingly marketing-oriented environment.

Architecture and Design for Industry 4.0 , 2024

Ten years after the first conceptualisation of Industry 4.0, we took part in the largest ITC expe... more Ten years after the first conceptualisation of Industry 4.0, we took part in the largest ITC experiment ever conducted. When during the quarantine, governments chose digital as the exclusive means for education and work, revealing its inclusion limits. Issues that also affect architecture, and in the perspective of the sustainable development of our role, force us to think about inclusivity, starting with the tools we use. When considering the fragmented panorama of software, it is possible to make a distinction according to a gradient going from proprietary to open-source. The latter guarantees the greatest inclusivity and is a requirement for architectural design to continue to develop within the horizon of research. As described in our article, open-source is already alive and present in contemporary architecture, and its contributions can promote quantitative and qualitative turning points. There is a clear tendency to distrust open-source tools: a condition that, in the perspectives stimulated by the industry 4.0 enabling technologies, risks placing architects in an eccentric position on the project. Based on these observations, our article reconstructs the diffusion of open-source tools and formats, outlining the contributions and possibilities ensured by an effective knowledge exchange: a condition necessary to keep the architecture as research, shared and comparable. Interviews with architects with extensive experience in digital tools enrich the article in a path that highlights problems caused by proprietary software, and the solutions promoted by designers who are already aware of the need for open-source tools in the AEC industry.

Urban Corporis Unexpected, 2021

The epidemic we are facing denies our contemporary liquid world, freezing and expanding its physi... more The epidemic we are facing denies our contemporary liquid world, freezing and expanding its physical distances again. The global city, distributed beyond its geographical borders, interconnected and shared, is now being questioned, as the role of our houses, previous part of a city-ecosystem, now isolated refuges. It is not the first time we face an epidemic, but it is the first time a pandemic hits a global digital world. Digital has offered us a novel way to face the epidemic, transforming IT possibilities in an obligation. This aspect showed us the limits of the digital paradigm, and we are all hit regardless our level of computer literacy: not just some parents who must now deal with e-learning for the first time, even digital champions as Facebook, which, given less human control over machine learning activities, because of remote work, classified reliable information as fake news. I tried to describe the influence of the digital paradigm during this collective quarantine in a series of images ideally starting from the Yin-Yang Symbol, which indicates a dynamic balance, overcoming dualism in polarity between opposites. A circular icon, now limited within the four sides of a square, in an apparent balance that forces us to find a difficult adaptation to the enclosure. In a second phase, the apparent balance breaks, and even if the digital paradigm guarantees us its possibilities of communication, its non-neutrality distorts our vision of the world, flattening it to the medium and limiting our perspectives. With the third moment, the digital artifice dominates our daily lives, homologating it to seemingly logical, but not natural rules and structures, which escape our control and confuse our identities in ones and zeros.

Infolio, n. 36, 2021

In this article, we will follow the history of splines, digital methods that have characterized t... more In this article, we will follow the history of splines, digital methods that have characterized the architectural design process since the last decade of the twentieth century. We will describe their evolutions since the beginning as analogical tools for boat construction in the eighteenth century, to its passage to digital within the automotive industry. Then the relationship with the aerospace industry, and the evolution which from digital animation, have led nurbs, subdivision surfaces and t-splines to become everyday computational tools within architecture workflow. Recent developments on t-splines, following their acquisition by Autodesk, will lead us to a reflection on the relationship between software houses, which develop tools, and architects, who are now dependent on them. Therefore, we will consider the need to develop open-source methods, as Pixar did with Opensubdiv, as knowledge and responsibility shared solution.

Proceedings of S.Arch 2020, the 7th international conference on architecture and built environment, 2020

The proliferation of data together with the increase of computing power in the last decade has tr... more The proliferation of data together with the increase of computing power in the last decade has triggered a new interest in artificial intelligence methods. Machine learning and in particular deep learning techniques, inspired by the topological structure of neurons network in brains, are omnipresent in the IT discourse, and generated new enthusiasms and fears in our society. These methods have already shown great effectiveness in fields far from architecture and have long been exploited in software that we use every day. Many computing libraries are available for anyone with some programming skills and allow them to "train" a neural network based on several types of data. The world of architecture has not remained external to this phenomenon: many researchers are working on the applications of artificial intelligence to architectural design, a few design software allow exploiting machine learning algorithms, and some large architectural firms have begun to experiment with deep learning methods to put into practice data accumulated over years of profession, with a special interest in environmental sustainability and building performance. If on the one hand, these techniques promise great results, on the other we are still in an exploratory phase. It is then necessary, in our opinion, to understand what the roles of this technology could be within the architectural design process, and with which scopes they can facilitate such a complex profession as that of the architect. On this subject we made ten interviews with as many designers and researchers in the AEC industry, In the article we will report a summary of their testimonies, comparing and commenting on the responses of the designers, with the aim of understanding the potentials of using artificial intelligence methods within the design process, report their perceptions on how artificial intelligence techniques can affect the architect's approach to the project, concluding with some reflections on the critical issues identified during the interviews with the designers.

Proceedings of ArchTheo '19, XIII International theory and history of Architecture conference, 2019

Architect professional figure and skills have undergone innumerable evolutions throughout human h... more Architect professional figure and skills have undergone innumerable evolutions throughout human history, and although the architect's task is always substantially to design buildings and spaces, the use of digital tools has undoubtedly marked the greatest change in architectural design since the Renaissance, if not since the time of Vitruvius. However, when we talk about the relationship between architecture and digital tools, we immediately think about projects of some contemporary architects and researches of some important academics come to mind. Digital tools are now everywhere within the fragmented world of architecture: from multinationals firm with offices in the major cities of the world to small provincial studios, it is difficult if not impossible to find a “non-digital” designer. The massive diffusion of digital technology has radically changed the architectural process in the last 30 years: from concept to representation, 3D modeling through CAD software up to the production of BIM models. For each of these purposes, there are now tools, made by international software houses, or by architects through programming languages, with the aim of facilitating and speeding up their work. The knowledge of certain software has become a fundamental requirement for professional practice so that it seems in place a further differentiation of roles within architectural firms. With this article we aim to understand trends in the dissemination of software among architects, not only inside the major Architectural firms but from the whole fragmented world of architecture, exploiting the records of Google searches, analyzed through the Google Trends platform.

Learning, Prototyping and Adapting, Short Paper Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) , 2018

In this article we aim to give new light on the thinking of Luigi Moretti, first to have formulat... more In this article we aim to give new light on the thinking of Luigi Moretti, first to have formulated the concept of parametric architecture, comparing it with those of some contemporary architectural theorists and designers. Latest researches on materials and form finding experiences have shown a new relationship between form and structure, Moretti understood it before the advent of internet. Moretti's parameter stems from the architectural tradition, as Carpo sees relations between parametric design and history. Moretti's Parametric architecture is interdisciplinary, open to science in ways that we are only now understanding. We therefore believe that recovering Moretti's methods of parametric architecture today, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of big data, can open new opportunities for computational architecture, as well as Moretti's mistakes can be a precious teaching.

Conference Presentations by Giuseppe Gallo

Proceedings of IV International Conference Cultura y Ciudad, Communication architecture: from the origins of modernity to the digital age, 2024

PhD thesis presentation, 2021

Thirty years after the advent of digital, it is mandatory a reflection that looks at the mutation... more Thirty years after the advent of digital, it is mandatory a reflection that looks at the mutations produced by digital technology in society and therefore within the architectural design process. To face the complexity, I chose a holistic approach, capable of acquiring a philosophical perspective, and descending towards the technical, operational, methodological, instrumental and relational detail.

S.Arch, 7th international conference on architecture and built environment, 2020

The proliferation of data together with the increase of computing power in the last decade has tr... more The proliferation of data together with the increase of computing power in the last decade has triggered a new interest in artificial intelligence methods. Machine learning and in particular deep learning techniques, inspired by the topological structure of neurons network in brains, are omnipresent in the IT discourse, and generated new enthusiasms and fears in our society. These methods have already shown great effectiveness in fields far from architecture and have long been exploited in software that we use every day. Many computing libraries are available for anyone with some programming skills and allow them to "train" a neural network based on several types of data.
The world of architecture has not remained external to this phenomenon: many researchers are working on the applications of artificial intelligence to architectural design, a few design software allow exploiting machine learning algorithms, and some large architectural firms have begun to experiment with deep learning methods to put into practice data accumulated over years of profession, with special interest in environmental sustainability and building performance. If on the one hand, these techniques promise great results, on the other we are still in an exploratory phase. It is then necessary, in our opinion, to understand what the roles of this technology could be within the architectural design process, and with which scopes they can facilitate such a complex profession as that of the architect.
On this subject we made ten interviews with as many designers and researchers in the AEC industry, In the article we will report a summary of their testimonies, comparing and commenting on the responses of the designers, with the aim of understanding the potentials of using artificial intelligence methods within the design process, report their perceptions on how artificial intelligence techniques can affect the architect's approach to the project, concluding with some reflections on the critical issues identified during the interviews with the designers.

Concorso Hera indica la via - Parco Archeologico di Selinunte e cave di Cusa, 2016

Le tecnologie digitali hanno dimostrato un grande potenzialità nell'espandere e favorire la diffu... more Le tecnologie digitali hanno dimostrato un grande potenzialità nell'espandere e favorire la diffusione dei beni culturali, in questa presentazione realizzata per il concorso Hera indica la Via, organizzato per incrementare la visitabilità del parco archeologico di Selinunte e Cave di Cusa ho raccontato come gli strumenti multimediali possono aiutarci a valorizzare i beni culturali orientando e guidando i visitatori, informandoli, permettendo all'utente di approfondire i temi legati a beni materiali e immateriali, creando un emozione in grado di piantare un segno nella memoria e intrattenere chi fruisce dei beni. La presentazione riporta diversi modelli di interazione di cui tenere conto in fase di progettazione e alcuni casi studio già applicati ad alcuni dei più importanti beni patrimonio dell'umanità selezionati da UNESCO

Dakam Archtheo'19 , 2019

In this article we aim to give new light on the thinking of Luigi Moretti, first to have formulat... more In this article we aim to give new light on the thinking of Luigi Moretti, first to have formulated the concept of parametric architecture, comparing it with those of some contemporary architectural theorists and designers. Latest researches on materials and form finding experiences have shown a new relationship between form and structure, Moretti understood it before the advent of internet. Moretti's parameter stems from the architectural tradition, as Carpo sees relations between parametric design and history. Moretti’s Parametric architecture is interdisciplinary, open to science in ways that we are only now understanding. We therefore believe that recovering Moretti’s methods of parametric architecture today, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of big data, can open new opportunities for computational architecture, as well as Moretti’s mistakes can be a precious teaching.

Thesis Chapters by Giuseppe Gallo

PhD thesis, 2021

The digital condition that has gradually hybridized our lives, transforming atoms into bits, has ... more The digital condition that has gradually hybridized our lives, transforming atoms into bits, has now cemented itself in our society, enriching post-modernity and determining a new form of liquidity that has sharpened with the advent of the internet. It is a historical moment marked by a new digital maturity, evident in our diverse relationship to data and in the spread of advanced machine learning methods, which both promise a new understanding of contemporary complexity as well as contribute to the propagation of the technical apparatus throughout the world.
These changes, so profound as to affect our culture, are changing our way of perceiving space, and therefore of inhabiting it: conditions that undoubtedly have repercussions on architectural design in its capacity as a human activity geared towards human beings. The increased complexity that has touched our discipline with Postmodernism has meanwhile found new support in Derridian deconstruction, in a historical moment marked by great emphasis on the opportunities that digital tools offer. These are means we first welcomed into our discipline exclusively as tools for representation, and ones that then themselves determined the emergence of new approaches based on the inclusive potential of continuity and variation. None of the protagonists of the first digital turn could probably have imagined the effects that digital culture would now be having on architectural design. A digital culture that has become increasingly stronger due to almost thirty years of both methodological and formal experimentation, as well as to organizational and instrumental changes, starting with the rise of BIM to new algorithmic possibilities represented by visual programming languages and numerical simulations. These have been the primary tools of concentration in the push towards digital, a digital which today has reached a second turn in the field of architecture, identified by Carpo in new design approaches that are now possible thanks to the larger availability of data.

A condition that inevitably affects both science and architectural design, but which, nevertheless, fails to fully share a contemporaneity where technology spreads its wings as far as architecture is concerned, thus affecting the meaning of our role within society. With these multifaceted considerations as a starting point, and fully aware of how complex the dialogue we must engage in in order to reconstruct a neutral, historical, and organic as possible vision of the phase that architecture is experiencing, it is my opinion a holistic approach must be established by us. One that is both inclusive and capable of expanding to the point of acquiring a philosophical perspective, as well as being able to attend to areas that cover technical, operational, methodological, instrumental, and relational details. This objective is one I have striven to keep alive throughout the three years of my doctoral research, which in its various phases looks at the mutations that digital technology is producing in society and therefore in architectural design. My research is enriched by the inclusion of ten interviews with prominent protagonists of contemporary architecture, for whose time and availability I am grateful. These testimonials allowed me to see the complexities of contemporary design up close and personal, and they represent a central part of this thesis, which equally aims to provide a historical interpretation of the challenges posed by contemporaneity and to identify the responsibilities that we must uphold for human beings to remain at the centre of our work.

Proceedings IV International Conference Cultura y Ciudad, Communication architecture: from the origins of modernity to the digital age, 2024

Architecture and Design for Industry 4.0 , 2024

Urban Corporis Unexpected, 2021

Infolio, n. 36, 2021

Proceedings of S.Arch 2020, the 7th international conference on architecture and built environment, 2020

Proceedings of ArchTheo '19, XIII International theory and history of Architecture conference, 2019

Learning, Prototyping and Adapting, Short Paper Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) , 2018

Proceedings of IV International Conference Cultura y Ciudad, Communication architecture: from the origins of modernity to the digital age, 2024

PhD thesis presentation, 2021

S.Arch, 7th international conference on architecture and built environment, 2020

The proliferation of data together with the increase of computing power in the last decade has tr... more The proliferation of data together with the increase of computing power in the last decade has triggered a new interest in artificial intelligence methods. Machine learning and in particular deep learning techniques, inspired by the topological structure of neurons network in brains, are omnipresent in the IT discourse, and generated new enthusiasms and fears in our society. These methods have already shown great effectiveness in fields far from architecture and have long been exploited in software that we use every day. Many computing libraries are available for anyone with some programming skills and allow them to "train" a neural network based on several types of data.
The world of architecture has not remained external to this phenomenon: many researchers are working on the applications of artificial intelligence to architectural design, a few design software allow exploiting machine learning algorithms, and some large architectural firms have begun to experiment with deep learning methods to put into practice data accumulated over years of profession, with special interest in environmental sustainability and building performance. If on the one hand, these techniques promise great results, on the other we are still in an exploratory phase. It is then necessary, in our opinion, to understand what the roles of this technology could be within the architectural design process, and with which scopes they can facilitate such a complex profession as that of the architect.
On this subject we made ten interviews with as many designers and researchers in the AEC industry, In the article we will report a summary of their testimonies, comparing and commenting on the responses of the designers, with the aim of understanding the potentials of using artificial intelligence methods within the design process, report their perceptions on how artificial intelligence techniques can affect the architect's approach to the project, concluding with some reflections on the critical issues identified during the interviews with the designers.

Concorso Hera indica la via - Parco Archeologico di Selinunte e cave di Cusa, 2016

Dakam Archtheo'19 , 2019

In this article we aim to give new light on the thinking of Luigi Moretti, first to have formulat... more In this article we aim to give new light on the thinking of Luigi Moretti, first to have formulated the concept of parametric architecture, comparing it with those of some contemporary architectural theorists and designers. Latest researches on materials and form finding experiences have shown a new relationship between form and structure, Moretti understood it before the advent of internet. Moretti's parameter stems from the architectural tradition, as Carpo sees relations between parametric design and history. Moretti’s Parametric architecture is interdisciplinary, open to science in ways that we are only now understanding. We therefore believe that recovering Moretti’s methods of parametric architecture today, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of big data, can open new opportunities for computational architecture, as well as Moretti’s mistakes can be a precious teaching.

PhD thesis, 2021