The practice of drawing is the most direct, essential, and interdisciplinary representational tool available to an architect. It is the first means by which architecture students learn to communicate their ideas. It is the most private and authorial mode of expression an architect can employ.
Throughout the history of architecture, drawing has also served as a code for transferring information to construction sites, giving tangible and built form to an architect’s ideas.
Today, the importance of this representational tool is becoming increasingly evident, not only in terms of its cultural and historical significance but also as documentary evidence of an architect’s work. More and more private and public institutions are committing to the collection, preservation, and promotion of architectural design documents—both autographed and non-autographed—recognizing their value, particularly in the field of architecture.
The aim of this research is to establish, with the support of the Catholic University ‘Our Lady of Good Counsel’ in Tirana (UNIZKM), both a physical and digital space dedicated to the collection, cataloguing, inventorying, preservation, and promotion of a corpus of architectural drawings. Over time, this will form a structured entity known as the Archivio del Disegno di Architettura del Mediterraneo (A.D.A.M.), capable of hosting contributions, original materials, and archival collections of national and international interest. These materials will be linked to architectural design cultures in the Mediterranean context, with the potential to encompass all disciplines related to architectural design.
This research initiative arises from several key motivations:
The interest in the fundamental principles of architecture and its design processes.
The necessary emphasis on representation and drawing as an essential design tool and expressive medium in architectural education.
The opportunity to establish a growing collection of original and authored materials, fostering the development of an ever-expanding archival heritage of documentary, historical, and artistic value related to the Mediterranean region.
By sustaining this initiative over time, A.D.A.M. aspires to become a reference point in the Mediterranean area, engaging with similar European and international institutions that are increasingly investing in the preservation and enhancement of archival heritage related to architectural drawing.
A.D.A.M. explores the culture of architectural and urban design within the Mediterranean context.
A.D.A.M. investigates the forms and techniques of drawing as a primary means of expressing design ideas, knowledge, and research in architecture.
A.D.A.M. serves as a platform for discussing original contributions and perspectives in the fields of architectural composition, architectural history, drawing, restoration, landscape, and interior design—through lectures, seminars, workshops, publications, and exhibitions.
A.D.A.M. aims to build an internationally significant archive, conceived as a shared research space for architectural design cultures that, by tradition or elective affinity, identify with the Mediterranean horizon.
A.D.A.M. is open to external collaborations and proposals.
A.D.A.M. is conceived by its scientific coordinator, Simone Barbi (Department of Architecture, University of Florence, and Faculty of Applied Sciences, Catholic University ‘Our Lady of Good Counsel’ in Tirana).
The research team includes:
Gianluca Buoncore (PhD, University of Florence, Center for Studies on Mediterranean Architecture, UNSBC)
Daniele Vanni (PhD Candidate, University of Florence, Center for Studies on Mediterranean Architecture, UNSBC)
A.D.A.M. is a research project funded by the Catholic University ‘Our Lady of Good Counsel’ in Tirana for the year 2025.
