When the meaning creates the atmosphere

According to the great modern architects, the very aim of architecture is to generate feelings. Consequently, monuments (etymologically meaning buildings linked to memory) represent the ultimate essence of architecture, since they express concepts, arouse moods and provoke reactions. In order to investigate the concept of atmosphere applied to architecture, it is interesting to consider the space of the commemorative monuments, whose purpose is to nurture the collective memory through sensations. Specifically, in these modern and contemporary memorials, feelings and meanings are conveyed by symbolic figures that can be considered a sort of design matrix, sometimes playing the same role as the type. The poetic strength of the Monument to the Resistance on Cima Grappa (Veneto, Italy), by the architect Giuseppe Davanzo, the poet Andrea Zanzotto and the sculptor Augusto Murer, is emblematic of an atmosphere generated by the presence of meanings effectively expressed and represented.