The Cold War in architecture: rationalism vs. organicism

In Paris during the fifties the way in which the world of architecture was divided into two camps was heatedly debated: the rationalist-functionalist versus the organicist. In the young Germán Samper’s notes from the class he took on modern architecture with Pierre Francastel there are a series of sketches taken from the book Histoty of Modern Architecture by Bruno Zevi. Choosing a selection of these sketches, this article recalls the way in which Zevi catalogued the architecture of the first half of the twntieth centuary, highlighting the organisists’ possition, and, simultaniously they function as works to cast doubt over a division that seems to be more political than architectural. In order to discuss architecture this text recalls the Corbusian maxim: good architecthure is that which achieves to be a complete “machine for living” in strict balance with also being a “machine of emotion”.