Bet­ween two acts:

Testo in italiano a questo link. 

We have reached the end of a cycle: starting in January, Archi will change its name and become espazium quaderni. This transformation rekindles longstanding questions, reflects a shifting context, and involves the entire espazium ecosystem. With respect for history and the energy of those looking forward, we are tasked with «re-envisioning» the magazine into the future – carrying it forward while giving shape to a renewed editorial vision. This ambition is expressed in the new subtitle: Swiss review of design and construction culture. The perspective both broadens and sharpens: the «act of designing» becomes the focal point around which all disciplinary competencies revolve. Few projects, explored in depth: the current issue offers a first hint of this approach. In 2026, the journal will continue to evolve, consolidating the three espazium publications. The shared root of the name and the new covers will act as a common thread and visual landmark where each editorial team can present its own interpretation of Baukultur. Change will take time: the cover is only the first step. We will tackle topics in their transdisciplinary complexity, weaving technical and humanistic perspectives, grounded in the belief that built works are the words through which professions tell their stories. Our work will be one of refinement: the magazine’s DNA remains intact, but updated. New tools, skills, and lines of inquiry renew fundamental questions about «building». Since 1910, with the founding of Rivista Tecnica della Svizzera Italiana, the publication has undergone many transformations: from technical bulletin to structured journal, to a syncretic vision in which cross-disciplinary dialogue became central to both design and the thinking surrounding construction. Rivista Tecnica and Archi have mirrored the region, reflecting its culture while sparking debates, as the digital dossier Fondamenta reminds us – inviting readers to revisit the clarity of history.

The review has always given space to projects, discussions, and figures of international significance. Its identity has been nourished by a balance of local grounding and global openness. Already in 1938, discussions touched on Alpine infrastructure and the potential of lake waters as a future resource – topics that, alongside AlpTransit and railway links, have echoed through decades of debate. We linger on the pages of the final 1972 issue: a distillation of interests and eras, featuring Terragni and rationalism, Fahrenkamp and Weidemeyer, a young Livio Vacchini restoring the Monte Verità hotel, and reflections on furniture and the work of Mies van der Rohe. And if, as Mies suggested, the primary act is to lay two bricks together with care, then we hope this issue, devoted to dwelling, serves both as a farewell to Archi as we have known it and the beginning of a renewed journey.