Abstract :

The words type and typology refer, despite their proximity, to very different conceptions of the typological series. This opposition between the partisans of type and typology can be read throughout the history of architecture and recalls the problem of the universals that would date back to the time of Plato and Aristotle, separating the thinkers between realists and nominalists. In spite of the continuous presence of the two sides, one can observe a shift in architectural and urban design as architectural discourse evolves, which seems to favor an Aristotelian reading of typology. To prove so, the article makes three analytical samples through the history of modern architecture: in the 19th century with Quatremère de Quincy & Durand, in the 20th century with Aldo Rossi & Mies Van de Rohe and finally nowadays with Rem Koolhaas & Valerio Olgiati.

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