The research aims to analyse the communicative properties of architectural design through the theoretical tools of the philosophy of language. Specifically, the investigation seeks to interpret architectural design as a form of preverbal communication, with the goal of constructing a theoretical framework that clarifies the ways in which architectural form acquires semantic value.

Departing from the traditional parallels between architecture and language developed in semiotic approaches, the research investigates the architectural object as a form of gestural communication, typical of all communicative practices that lack a phonetic and grammatical code. Excluding functional and stylistic components, the project focuses exclusively on the role of architecture as a medium for attributing meaning to the surrounding reality.

This research explores the architectural project as an ostensive device—an instrument capable of revealing and enhancing what is typically hidden, reserved, or unknown. By examining the theoretical foundations of “showing,” the concept of the ostensive proposition, and the processes of signification and value attribution, the study aims to define the architectural project’s role asa critical act of interpretation. Adopting a transdisciplinary perspective—integrating philosophy of language, phenomenology, semiotics, and design theory—the research investigates how this capacity, well-established in museography, can be meaningfully extended to non-museum contexts. A survey of contemporary practices will support this theoretical framework, demonstrating how architecture can act as an urban medium for decoding and conveying aesthetic and cultural values. The study aspires to enrich interior and architectural design discourse, providing new analytical tools and methodological guidelines for future practice and research.