TERMINOLOGICAL CONNOTATIONS OF VISIONARY ARCHITECTURE. EXPERIMENTAL, CONCEPTUAL AND RADICAL

Abstract

This article explores the conceptual and terminological ambiguity surrounding the notion of «Visionary architecture», a term increasingly present in architectural discourse but still lacking a coherent definition. Although widely invoked to describe imaginative, speculative, and unrealized projects, visionary architecture remains a heterogeneous category shaped by overlapping yet distinct conceptual strands. The study identifies and systematizes more terminological connotations frequently associated with visionary practice: experimental, conceptual, paper, radical, and intentional architecture.
The aim of this research is to clarify the internal structure of these connotations, trace their historical and theoretical development, and establish a unified interpretive framework for understanding visionary architecture as a critical instrument of architectural thinking. Drawing on foundational works by Peter Cook, Tahl Kaminer, Rachel Armstrong, Lebbeus Woods, and Stefan Müller, the article examines how each category reflects a particular approach to non-built architecture: ranging from technological innovation and material experimentation to theoretical autonomy and sociopolitical provocation. Experimental architecture, for example, often involves the use of untested materials and speculative technologies, while conceptual and paper architecture emphasize the autonomy of design thinking as an intellectual and artistic act. Radical and intentional architectures, by contrast, foreground ideological or utopian dimensions of unbuilt space, questioning the socio-political frameworks of architectural production. Together, these approaches constitute a dynamic spectrum of visionary practices that challenge disciplinary norms and expand the boundaries of architectural imagination.
By tracing the historical evolution and theoretical implications of these categories, the article proposes that «Visionary architecture» operates as a meta-concept as overarching mode of architectural inquiry rooted in speculation, critique, and projection. Rather than serving as a stylistic or purely visual genre, visionary architecture provides a critical toolset for rethinking the boundaries of architectural production, pedagogy, and discourse. It reveals how unbuilt architecture functions not as absence but as presence, an active domain of design thought that shapes architectural culture from within.