Double-coding in effect: the reception of the Piazza d’Italia

Abstract

Architectural theorist Charles Jencks characterises post-modernism as double-coding in nature. Double-coding is an architectural scheme that seeks to communicate with both the general public and a concerned minority who care about architectural meanings, usually other architects, through the formulation of an inclusive building language. Given these parameters, Jencks considered the Piazza d’Italia, an iconic post-modern site created by American architect Charles Moore, ‘a monument of post-modern architecture’ and an epitome of his double-coding theory. Yet, the Piazza d’Italia was greatly controversial upon its completion in New Orleans in 1978. The local responses were mixed, and the site triggered debates in professional journals nationwide. This study considers the Piazza d’Italia in light of its mixed reception, supplemented by a contrast between Moore’s prospect of his design and my experience visiting the site. In comparing professional debates with public comments, this study sheds light on the roles and needs of architecture’s different audiences and re-evaluates post-modern architecture’s capability to communicate with them. Thereupon, I seek to illuminate the nature of double-coding and assess critically its promise and effect.