ENVIRONMENTS AND PLASTIC INTEGRATION TO ARCHITECTURE  

Paolo Scheggi, "Model for Compositore cromo-spaziale" (Chromo-spatial Composer), 1964, White painted wood supporting structure, thin layers with mobile rotating wood bases painted yellow, blue, red and white, wood base painted black, 20,6 x 78 x 17 cm. Lost work. From this model the Paolo Scheggi Archive realized an authorized version in 2014, 20,6 x 78 x 17 cm. Private collection

“The concept of ‘total design’ that we will provisionally use originates, spiritually but not methodologically, in the series of transformations undergone by architecture from the first decade of the century. From De Stijl to Bauhaus, from the Lombard group of 1935 to integrated design, there has in fact been an uninterrupted series of proposals, the common denominator of which has been team-work involving several different disciplines. A coordinated work in which the terms and criteria of design were established a priori. Analysing historically and in the light of many new factors that have transformed society, we realize that these contributions re-propose today the need to work in a group on a scientifically methodological basis. Actually, the transformation of infrastructures in a neocapitalistic society imposes the need for a new awareness of reality, as a substantive search for a neo-humanistic dimension of design”.

This text, which is undated, merged with the Manifesto conclusivo del Gruppo di lavoro 1 (also cited as “g-uno” or G1) on the "Ipotesi di lavoro per la progettazione totale", presented in January 1965 to the Regional College of Architects of Lombardy. It is therefore likely datable to 1964. The manifesto was signed by Germano Celant, Alessandro Fronzoni, Alessandro Mendini, Gian Mario Oliveri, Giancarlo Sangregorio and Paolo Scheggi.