Typewriting architects: projects and research from the AUA studio and the role of Manfredo Tafuri

This paper considers the formative years of Manfredo Tafuri in Rome, first as a member of the student group ASeA, then as a founder of the AUA studio. Rome at that time was a place of dense debate. Discussions were conducted mostly outside the retrograde School of Architecture but in the context of the network of associations and professional firms in the area. In this fervid cultural climate, Tafuri emerged first as both a designer and scholar, then as an extraordinary architectural critic, until in 1964, he decided to abandon designing altogether and dedicate himself entirely to history. Manfredo Tafuri's Roman years have been analysed through his writings and projects carried out as a member of research groups — along with the accounts of some of his colleagues and traveling companions. The aim is to delve into the organisation of the AUA office, Tafuri's role within it, and the reasons for his ultimate refusal to practice architecture.