Do Architects Dream of Cubes Under the Light?

The Eternal Cycle of Repeating the Past

Abstract

In Do Architects Dream of Cubes Under the Light?, I critically examine the persistence of the rational–functionalist paradigm in contemporary architecture and its inability to address current challenges. Despite significant advances in other fields—such as design, medicine, and digital technologies—architecture remains largely anchored to the repetitive use of inherited modernist models, particularly the dominance of the white box and the free plan. Through a historical and conceptual analysis, the text questions the prevalence of isomorphic geometry, the systematic exclusion of biology as a source of projectual knowledge, and the late, often superficial incorporation of digital tools. In response to this stagnation, I argue for an architectural paradigm that integrates artificial intelligence, computational processes, and biological principles, not merely as instruments of technical optimization but as catalysts for a deeper transformation of architectural thinking. The text advocates abandoning obsolete models and embracing a new alliance between nature, technology, and creativity, capable of producing architectures that are more responsive, sustainable, and attuned to the complexities of the twenty-first century.