The Ecological Project\u2019s Cage

The ecological approach in architecture \u2013 which is marking with increasing interest the contemporary field\u2019s debate \u2013 could have represented an important opportunity to reflect on current design trends. The rapid diffusion of the new trend of sustainable architecture transformed it instead into a bunch of technicalities and legislative regulations, following a strict bureaucratic - if not commercial - logic. So the so called \u201cecological culture\u201d of the built environment design, fails not only to react to the globalizing technology, but transforms into a strictly technical culture that claims to globalize. This paper is taken from the author\u2019s study for one of his books and it will face the theme framing its epistemological basis. The focus will be on the possible effects produced by the current situation, proposing some possible solutions to exit it. The paper will be divided into seven parts: \u201cThe age of globalizing technology\u201d; \u201cThe metaphor of the Crystal Palace\u201d; \u201cResponsibility as an antidote?\u201d; \u201cFrom experimentation to the cage\u201d, \u201cGiants and ecological monsters\u201d, \u201cRegulations\u2019 Perversions and the project\u201d; \u201cConclusions\u201d