Evoking a Capital:
The Conceptual Experience of Galaktika
Gabriele Pettinau
Abstract：All architectural actions imply a sacrifice, making the creation of cities inseparable from the concept of sacredness.
This discourse posits that because the life of citizens is sacred, the city—the framework of their life—must be similarly
regarded. However, contemporary urbanism suffers from a disconnection between hierarchies and reference points,
often resulting in an anonymous “international style” where “architectural superiority” is sacrificed for signage and
“copy-paste” residential fabrics resembling “burial niches.”
By contrasting the “self-referential” balsa-wood models of foundation capitals like Brasília with the refined hierarchies
of Turin, Isfahan, and Saint Petersburg, the author proposes a “New Lexicon” for urban design. This framework
emphasizes “tectonic honesty,” the rejection of merely quantitative competition (the “tallest” or “largest”), and the
implementation of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). These principles are synthesized in “Galaktika,” a theoretical
Siberian capital organized along a logarithmic spiral. Integrating a monumental “Golden City” with the “twenty-minute
city” concept, Galaktika seeks to restore the Genius Loci through a clear demarcation between man’s space and nature.
Ultimately, the article serves as a visionary manifesto for reclaiming the sacral value of architecture and the cultural
identity of the territory.
