EX FIGURA (Barbara Stallone & Francisco Silva)

Independent researchers, Milan, Italy & Paris, France, ex.figura@gmail.com

In Continuum

https://www.doi.org/10.66966/COTAA.2025.12

The discourse of originality in architecture is grounded on a vague but persistent conflict: the authentic versus the copy. Deeply rooted in Western philosophy and aesthetics, this opposition depicts copying as both an aesthetic shortcoming and an ethical transgression. Architectural copies tend to be often immediately dismissed as derivative, kitsch, or morally empty associations that have shaped not only critical reception but
also design pedagogy and professional ethics. At the same time, the valorization of originality aligns with modernist ideals of the avant-garde, privileging the individual genius and radical rupture over continuity and dialogue.
The concept of the “copy” in architecture remains highly contested, entangled in philosophical, cultural, and ethical prejudices that continue to preserve originality as a synonym of genius and singular authorship. Yet this framework is not permanently established, and it is increasingly challenged by contemporary realities. Based on recent architectural theory, philosophy, art history, and present design culture, it is possible
to challenge the original-copy dichotomy and draw up a new logic of copying as a creative, contextual, and critical practice. From the beginning of the XXI century, buildings circulate as images across social media; styles and references are global, fluid, and dynamic; and digital tools further enable infinite replication and modification. Against this backdrop, a rigid adherence to originality is more and more seen as limiting rather than enabling – limiting the range of architectural possibilities, flattening the complexity of design processes, and restricting access to cultural participation.
In an age of digital reproduction, global circulation, and hybrid identities, copying can be reevaluated not as a perceived aesthetic failure but as a possible generative act. Through a
comprehensive examination of different perspectives, theories, and contemporary opinions on the subject, a new theory of architectural copying that foregrounds ethics, situated knowledge, and transformative reuse can be envisioned, diluting the antagonism that hovers over the topic. It is possible to propose a reframing of originality itself – one that moves beyond the conception of an isolated invention, towards a form of relational authorship that emerges through copying, as an inevitable referencing that is led with awareness, intention, and sensibility. In the end, what is increasingly in question is the validity of the original-copy binary itself, with initial efforts being made towards a new understanding that is based on both sides to present an alternative comprehension. It becomes, therefore, fundamental to explore the philosophical and historical construction of the copy as ontologically and ethically inferior and to examine the cultural, professional, and ethical anxieties surrounding the act of copying, especially in relation to craftsmanship, intellectual property, and design authorship. And in a parallel effort, it is equally important to turn to contemporary practices that embrace copying as a creative strategy – drawing from sampling culture, vernacular traditions, and digital tools, to unravel an alternative option – one that redefines originality as context-sensitive transformation rather than isolated invention and that positions copying as a critical, ethical, and creative mode of design.
In doing so, the goal is not only to set a new perspective on the act of copying but to show that it is foundational to architecture itself. The copy is not a deviation from design culture, it is a central mechanism through which architecture engages with history, place, and community. Far from being a shortcut or a failure, copying can become a foundational expression of architectural intelligence – one that deserves to be theorized, taught, and explored with method and precision.

Keywords: originality; copy; authenticity; influence; sampling.