In March 2001, 333d issue of L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui was soberly entitled “Ornament”. In its main report, international architects such as Andreas Hild, Carlos Ferrater, Norman Foster or Robert Venturi were invited to write about their vision of “ornament” and its translation into contemporary architecture. While 18 years later, AA is raising the “ornament in architecture” issue in its No. 429, read below the text written by Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass, for whom “everything that is not necessary to structure is decoration”.

Click on the cover below to read the excerpt.

AA’s 429th issue, “Ornament”, is also available on our online store.