Stefano Milani defends his PhD thesis

On January 8th 2026 Stefano Milani defended his PhD thesis entitled:

Franco Purini:

The Drawing of Architecture and the Architecture of Drawing

This doctoral research investigates Franco Purini’s work ‘Una ipotesi di architettura’ (1966–1968), examining it as both a foundational architectural inquiry and a hypothesis on drawing. Through a detailed analysis of Purini’s research, the dissertation develops the concept of an “architecture of drawing”- a critical framework in which drawing is not merely a representational tool but a form of architectural thought and theoretical investigation. Central to this work is the assertion that architectural drawing is inherently double: it generates and questions architectural meaning.

This dual role reflects the tension within Purini’s method, in which drawing serves as both a tool and a conceptual field for dismantling the systems it constructs. 

The dissertation further explores how Purini’s grammar-based architectural language emphasises the autonomy and poetics of drawing. The investigation revolves around visual analysis and analytical drawings whose findings have been applied to reinterpreting a series of Purini’s projects. Finally, the thesis posits that the structure underlying the “architecture of drawing” is paratactical, enabling drawing to function as an open-ended form of architectural inquiry. Consequently, drawing can both reinforce and resist conventional design logic - a capacity that lies at the heart of its ongoing relevance and poetic potential in architectural practice. In summary, this research not only repositions ‘Una ipotesi di architettura’ as a critical episode in contemporary architectural thought but also affirms drawing as a mode of theoretical production. It establishes the architecture of drawing as both a methodological tool and a conceptual framework through which architecture itself can be reimagined.

Promotors: Prof.dr.ir. Klaske Havik, Prof.dr.ir. Tom Avermaete