Nature and Architecture: The Ambas Vision” by the eminent Italian architectural historian and critic Fulvio Irassi offers a retrospective study and in-depth analysis of the intellectual and creative legacy of the pioneering Argentine architect Emilio Ambas, described in academic circles as “the Messiah of green architecture.” The text starts from a central idea that confirms that Ambas was not just a traditional designer looking to incorporate plants as an outdoor decorative element, but rather he was a pioneer and prophetic missionary who formulated the philosophical and ethical foundations of sustainable design.He presented his revolutionary vision long decades before the concepts of climate change and environmental sustainability entered the core of contemporary global political and economic debates.
The text takes the reader on an organized critical journey through eight main chapters and a conclusion, through which it explores the famous architectural manifesto of Ambas known as “Green over Grey”. This theory symbolizes the need to cover solid gray architectural structures with a living curtain of green nature, dealing with plants and the environmentAs an effective political and ecological factor, and as a primary space that performs a real structural function and not just decoration. Throughout the chapters of his book, Irasi explains how Ambas sought, through his projects, to reformulate the relationship between humans and the environment; Proposing radical engineering solutions aimed at repopulating nature, so that the building returns to the community the equivalent of 100% of the land area that it excised and covered with its concrete mass, in the form of public gardens, parks, and suspended green roofs.What gives this reference exceptional historical and documentary value is its tracking of the most prominent real-life projects designed by Ambas that turned into global icons. Such as the “Across Fukuoka Building” in Japan, the “Lucille Hansel Botanical Ocean” in Texas, and the “Venice Hospital.”In parallel, the book re-examines and evaluates a group of unimplemented visionary projects dating back to the 1970s and 1980s. Rather than treating them as unworkable utopian or utopian theses, Irassi proves that these designs carried within them the seeds of the major questions and problems that preoccupy contemporary architectural thought today. This work represents an essential text for all those interested in environmental architecture, as it confirms that the true value of a building is not measured only by its technological efficiency, but rather by its abilityPoetics aims to achieve complete reconciliation and harmonious civilized dialogue between human creation and Mother Nature.
