ISSN 2465-2377 (online) Restauro Archeologico (RA­) is a scientific international print and open access journal, issued every six months. RA publishes articles peer-reviewed – in Italian, English, Spanish, French and German, concerning the knowledge, conservation, and valorisation of all endangered, neglected, or ruined architectural structures and aims to focus attention on the methodologies of study and intervention on architectural heritage in archaeological contexts or connected to them. Editors-in-Chief: Susanna Caccia Gherardini, Università di Firenze, Italy Maurizio De Vita, Università di Firenze, Italy Restauro Archeologico is indexed in:
Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY-4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Ahmadi Town o la nascita del modernismo in Ku-wait /
In 1947, architect James Mollison Wilson, founder of Wilson Mason & Partners, was commissioned by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) to design the city plan, headquarters, housing, and staff facilities for the company in Al-Ahmadi Town, located south of Kuwait City. In addition to housing, the five-year plan included various municipal and social service buildings, general offices, a hospital, staff housing, staff clubs, an institute and multipurpose hall, a fire station, shopping centers, schools, a cinema, a mosque, an administrative building, public gardens, a post office, banks, and churches. Ahmadi Town was designed as a ‘Company Town’, a settlement created and managed by a single company to house its employees. Wilson Mason & Partners applied the Garden Suburb model to the planning and archi-tecture of Ahmadi. In fact, the creation of this modern Garden City also constitutes the precursor to the experimentation and design of high-quality, original modern architecture of a high formal and struc-tural level.
Copyright (c) 2025 Maurizio De Vita https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il Moderno alla ‘prova’ del tempo: nuove sfide per il restauro della Facoltà di Ingegneria di Napoli di Luigi Cosenza /
The architectural heritage of the twentieth century represents one of the most complex challenges for contemporary conservation practices. Its fragile material nature, the experimental character of construction techniques, and the often incomplete or absent legal protection frameworks make the restoration of Modern architecture a delicate and multi-scalar operation. This paper focuses on the Faculty of Engineering in Naples, designed by Luigi Cosenza, among others, a paradigmatic case of urban-scale modern heritage. It outlines the theoretical and methodological framework of restoration practices, examines the impact of time on experimental materials and the notion of patina, in this case between the architectural structure by Luigi Cosenza and the surface maiolica decorations by Paolo Ricci (for the Piazzale Tecchio façade) and by Domenico Spinosa (for the internal courtyard). The case of the Faculty of Engineering in Naples illustrates a holistic conservation strategy that recognizes the inseparable relationship between structure and decoration. By drawing on recent research and restoration experiences, the paper argues for a conservation approach that combines scientific knowledge, interdisciplinary expertise, and cultural responsibility. It highlights how the restoration of Modern architecture requires the preservation not only of typologies but of specific constructive and material identities, accepting time as a constitutive element of heritage.
Copyright (c) 2025 Renata Picone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il caso SESC Pompéia: dettagli costruttivi del lavoro di conservazione di Lina Bo Bardi /
The SESC Pompéia complex in São Paulo, Brazil, is the outcome of a pioneering adaptive reuse project led by Lina Bo Bardi between the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite extensive scholarship on the work, detailed analysis of its material and construction strategies remains limited. This study addresses Bo Bardi’s conservation approach, which demonstrates a profound respect for pre-existing structures and their original constructive logic, even in the absence of legal heritage protection. Notably, the preservation of structural elements such as timber trusses and Hennebique-type reinforced concrete reflects her alignment with emerging theories of critical restoration. Through a comparative analysis of the factory’s original state and the completed project, this paper investigates the architect’s conservative and innovative design choices. The aim is to assess the theoretical and formal implications of these decisions from the perspective of restoration theory, highlighting construction as a key factor in future conservation strategies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rafaela Borsato Belo, Massimiliano Pasquali , Federica Ottoni https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
La Modernità Silenziosa: Patrimonializzazione dell’Universidad Laboral di Cheste /
The Labor University of Cheste, designed by Fernando Moreno Barberá between 1965 and 1969, stands as an emblem of ‘silent modernity’: exceptional Modernist architecture largely overlooked and legally unprotected despite its cultural and technical value. Conceived as a self-contained city for over 5,000 students, it seamlessly integrates residences, classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities, dining areas, healthcare services, and a monumental Auditorium. Its design embodies Modernist and Brutalist principles, blending functional rationality, modular construction, and expressive materials while responding to the Mediterranean climate and topography. Although recognized in the Docomomo Ibérico registry, the absence of formal protection has allowed interventions – such as perimeter wall closures – that compromise its spatial and aesthetic integrity. Archival research, technical literature, and on-site analysis document the original design and subsequent modifications, underscoring the urgent need for conservation and sustainable reuse.
Copyright (c) 2025 Graziella Bernardo, Luis Manuel Palmero Iglesias https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Costruzione, degrado, demolizione. Tutto in 20 anni. Il Terminal di via Valfonda a Firenze (1990-2010) /
The contribution addresses some aspects that accompanied the fate of an architecture rich in ideas, materials, both traditional and modern. Designed by Cristiano Toraldo di Francia and Andrea Noferi, the Terminal was placed in an interesting yet complex context, bridging Santa Maria Novella station and the INA ASSITALIA Palace, two essentially coeval buildings but profoundly different in their architectural features. In front of it lies the square bordered by the imposing transept of Santa Maria Novella, while on the opposite side, the defining feature is the front section of the station's Palazzina Reale. Over a few years, the Terminal experienced progressive material decay and a sort of disaffection that led to its premature demolition. The contribution deals, in particular, with two aspects. The relationship between old and new, also considering that in this same area, in relation to this issue, there had been the extraordinary result of the Toscano Group Santa Maria Novella station, which seemed to seal the premise of a place destined for successful contemporary architectural experimentation. The other aspect addressed is the early degradation of some materials used, in relation to their application. Through these areas of reflection, we aim to contribute to understanding the reasons for the decline and oblivion of an architectural work born from an ambitious design.
Copyright (c) 2025 Pietro Matracchi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A methodology for the Energy Retrofit of 20th Century Architecture: the Modèle Innovation La Salamandre
Since the 1970s, in response to critiques of the Grands Ensembles, French housing policy shifted toward innovative, small-scale projects. The Plan Construction (1971) supported residential research through the Innovation Models (1973-75). Among them, the Salamandre residence in Villeneuve d’Ascq (1979), by André Wogenscky and Sud Atelier, applied Modernist principles, with 422 units and design features inspired by the Modulor. Later alterations (1994-96) in the rental section changed its appearance without improving energy performance. A first research phase showed that user behavior accounts for up to 40% of energy demand. Empirical occupancy-based scenarios indicated a 6–8% reduction in heating needs compared to regulatory models. Based on this, a minimally invasive retrofit strategy – 'Réhabilitation 2.0’ – was proposed, involving residents and real-use data. Recent developments include tools for managing energy data to guide low-impact, heritage-respecting interventions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Antonella Mastrorilli, Roberta Zarcone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
‘Calcestruzzo leggero, eredità pesante’: il Lecabeton facciavista della Palestra di Riva San Vitale /
This article presents an emblematic example of modern architecture in Switzerland: the gymnasium of the Riva San Vitale school complex, designed by A. Galfetti, F. Ruchat-Roncati and I. Trümpy between 1972 and 1973. The building is notable for the quality of its construction, featuring continuous reinforced concrete walls made of lightweight LECA aggregates – an innovative material at the time that had not yet been extensively studied in terms of its long-term behaviour. Visual and diagnostic investigations conducted by the SUPSI Institute of Materials and Construction revealed that the strengths and weaknesses of Lecabeton were linked to the installation methods used and the environmental exposure conditions. After providing an overview of the historical and regulatory context, the case study describes the work, context, and results of the investigations to improve understanding of the performance and degradation mechanisms of a material that still holds significant cultural and technical value, even after fifty years. This contributes to the debate on the conservation of modern architecture by providing ideas for contemporary use of Lecabeton.
Copyright (c) 2025 Cristina Mosca, Luigi Coppola https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Gio Ponti al Bo: un restauro filologico integrale /
In 2022, the University of Padua undertook a significant restoration project, encompassing all areas of the University's Rectorate, designed by Gio Ponti starting in 1934.The intervention involved floors, walls, doors, lamps, and over 500 pieces of furniture specifically designed by Gio Ponti. Commissioned by Rector Carlo Anti, the architect meticulously curated every detail of the spaces with refined elegance, pursuing a unified and organic vision. The still in use today furniture on the piano nobile of Palazzo Bo (Bo Palace), the University's central headquarters, represents the best-preserved masterpieces among the numerous works created worldwide by the Milanese architect and designer. The restoration, conducted according to philological criteria and critically studied and planned, aimed to rediscover the delicate balance between aesthetic restitution, integrity of the original design, functional restoration, and identity of the spaces, combining the need for preserving the past with the demand for present-day adequacy and efficiency. During both the planning and execution phases, the work team—consisting of architects, art historians, experts, and technicians from various areas and centers, along with restorers, in continuous dialogue with the Superintendence—studied drawings, sketches, specifications, and letters between Rector Anti, architect Ponti.
Copyright (c) 2025 Giuseppe Olivi, Marta Nezzo, Giovanna Valenzano, Giada Barison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il complesso dell’Expo 1938 di Trois-Rivières (Québec, Canada). Un laboratorio per riabitare il Moderno /
The 1938 Provincial Exhibition in Trois-Rivières is a rare example of a modern ensemble designed for a regional collective event in Canada. Long neglected in critical discourse, the site reveals traces of transformation, abandonment, and adaptive reuse that have altered its original unity while demonstrating the resilience of modern architectural languages. This paper offers critical reading based on archival, iconographic, and in situ research to reconstruct the site's evolution and identify typological continuities. Special focus is given to the design studio Re-Habiter l’Expo, which explored heritage reactivation through stratigraphic analysis, identity values, and hybrid conservation and design methods. The case challenges conventional restoration theory, proposing new strategies for fragile modern architectures that balance memory and collective appropriation. From this peripheral context, broader insights emerge for the Canadian and international debate on modern heritage conservation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fabio Sedia, François Dufaux https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
La conservazione delle opere gresleriane. (Dis)continuità e trasferimento metodologico /
This contribution explores the relationship between conservation practices aimed at ensuring the transmission of the Glauco Gresleri’s legacy, using as a case study the Church of the Beata Vergine Immacolata (BVI) in Bologna, included in the catalogue Censimento delle architetture dal 1945 ad oggi promoted by the Ministry of Culture, as a significant milestone in the ecclesiastical architecture, being the first example built according to the Lercaro-inspired principles of new experimental liturgical actions. Through direct and indirect investigation, the collection of oral sources, and the study of the relationship between the BVI and its community, a Conservation Management Plan is currently being developed. At present, the condition of the building – particularly the exposed concrete elements – requires the planning of diagnostic investigations and analyses in order to design a conservation intervention that is appropriate to the value of the work and the cultural meanings attributed to it.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alessandra Cattaneo, Leila Signorelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Conservazione e recupero delle architetture autoriali delle Cartiere Burgo /
Architecture is inherently subject to change. Designed to meet functional needs, it must adapt to evolving user requirements and changing regulations. Preserving architecture means managing change without compromising its integrity or cultural values, balancing the replacement of the parts with the preservation of authenticity. While the conservation of 20th century heritage has long been debated, outcomes often fail to «envision changes without betraying the legacy and spirit» of that architecture. To avoid distortion, «the demands of both conservation and change must be served simultaneously», respecting the building’s architectural, functional, and material specificities. This paper examines two notable cases: the Burgo paper mill in Mantua, designed by Pier Luigi Nervi (1961-1964), whose restoration won the 2021 DOCOMOMO Rehabilitation Award; and the Burgo administrative offices in San Mauro Torinese (Torino), designed by Oscar Niemeyer (1978-81), now undergoing functional revitalization.
Copyright (c) 2025 Giulia Formato, Manuela Mattone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Rediscovered verticality: silos as a canvas for the contemporary
Industrial silos, originally storage structures, have become symbols of modernity, architecture, and urban identity. Their verticality and modularity convey both functional efficiency and monumental presence. Today, silos play a key role in industrial heritage debates, where adaptive reuse raises questions of memory, community engagement, and market pressures. This study analyzes international case studies, with a focus on Milan’s Armani/Silos Museum,exploring how conservation, innovation, and cultural narratives intersect. Findings show that silos serve as multidimensional heritage platforms, balancing historical memory, social participation, and economic dynamics, offering insights for sustainable and culturally meaningful urban reuse.
Copyright (c) 2025 Barbara Galli, Manuel Vaquero Piñeiro https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
From Modern Icon to Memory Fragment: The Transformation of Grand Ephesus Hotel in İzmir
From Modern Icon to Memory Fragment: The Transformation of Grand Ephesus Hotel in İzmir. This paper exam-ines the transformation of the Grand Ephesus Hotel (1964), a landmark of post-war modernism in İzmir, and its role in shaping and eroding collective urban memory. Designed by Paul Bonatz and Fatih Uran in the rationalist vocabulary of international style, the hotel represented Turkey’s mid-century modern turn. It became a symbol of Izmir’s modernization, hosting significant cultural, social, and public events. As a modern heritage site, its spatial identity was tied to collective rituals, such as rooftop dinners, weddings, and fair-time gatherings. Through semi-structured interviews with long-time users, the study examines how place-based memory is produced and altered through architectural and programmatic change. After its closure in 2003 and reopening in 2008 as Swissôtel Grand Ephesus under private management, the hotel’s social function and symbolic role in the city shifted dramati-cally. While the building remains physically preserved, its meaning within the collective consciousness has faded. This rupture reflects broader issues in the heritagization of modern architecture, where material continuity often fails to maintain cultural continuity. Using the theoretical frameworks of Maurice Halbwachs and Pierre Nora, and building upon John Punter’s concept of place identity, the study demonstrates that memory is not only embedded in form but also enacted through use. The findings suggest that without engaging the everyday practices and emotional geographies tied to modern architecture, preservation risks turning living heritage into inert monuments. The case of the Grand Ephesus Hotel contributes to the discussion on adaptive reuse, symbolic erasure, and the need for more inclusive conservation approaches to 20th-century architectural heritage.
Copyright (c) 2025 İdil Ece Şener, İpek Akpınar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Al confine del Moderno. Un’opera inedita di Michele Capobianco /
In the debate on the restoration of twentieth-century architecture, works that fall outside the canonical chronology of Modernism raise crucial questions concerning recognition, transmission, and heritage preservation. This is the case of the school designed by Michele Capobianco in 2001 in Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi (AV). Unpublished and absent from the critical literature on his work, it represents a significant key to understanding the theoretical and operational tensions in the transition to the twenty-first century. Integrating the renovation of the existing building with new volumes, the intervention is rooted in the post-earthquake landscape of Alta Irpinia, reasserting an architecture attentive to context and the memory of place. The analysis of the project – conducted through archival documentation – confirms its coherence with Capobianco’s method, based on space as an organising structure, on the dialectic between geometry and plastic articulation, and on a compositional approach that interprets rather than merely represents reality. The project also confirms the architect’s focus on colour as a compositional tool and as a mediator between architectural language and the urban fabric – understood not as a mere aesthetic overlay, but as an optical and symbolic device capable of reconstituting a collective scene through tactile, luminous, and material relationships. The calibrated choice of materials and the balance between constructive rationality and evocative imagery reflect a practice that conceives the project as a critical act – a place where time and history are condensed. The work – the last completed by Capobianco – stands as a paradigmatic case of “threshold” architecture: it reworks the assumptions of Modernism without nostalgia or rupture, actualising its values of continuity, proportion, and civic responsibility. This paper proposes a possible interpretative key for approaching the architecture of the second half of the twentieth century not merely as material to be preserved, but as a medium capable of transmitting cultural continuity through the very act of design.
Copyright (c) 2025 Francesca Spacagna, Lorenzo Capobianco https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Architetture della memoria divisa: i memoriali di Bogdan Bogdanović tra eredità e frammentazione /
The contribution aims to offer a reflection on the complex process of heritage-making surrounding World War II memorials built in the former Yugoslavia, with particular attention to the work of Bogdan Bogdanović (1922–2010). The Serbian architect’s oeuvre provides a framework for understanding a phenomenon of considerable interest, not only for the intrinsic historical and cultural values of these monuments but also for the contemporary challenges of conservation and protection. The network of architectures, originally conceived under the ideal of Brotherhood and Unity, now lies fragmented among countries with deeply different systems of heritage preservation and theoretical approaches to restoration. The article presents an analysis of several case studies designed and realized by Bogdanović between the 1950s and the 1980s, focusing in particular on two countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia – which in recent years have pursued distinct policies of conservation and restoration for these memorials. Through the examination of archival materials and the study of the design and construction processes, the research relates these aspects to the current state of conservation, heritage policies, and contemporary and future scenarios. The goal is to highlight how the dialogue between the homogeneity of the past and the heterogeneity of the present can foster reflections on future perspectives and on the commitment and role that academia and international experts may play in addressing this specific theme.
Copyright (c) 2025 Emanuele Morezzi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Sul restauro della Chiesa di Maria Santissima Immacolata di Longuelo e il rispetto della sua immagine poetica /
The district of Longuelo in Bergamo, once a rural outpost along the road to Lecco, underwent rapid transformation in the post-war period, losing centrality to new residential developments that turned it into a commuter suburb. In response, both the Church and the Municipality promoted initiatives that culminated in the construction of Santa Maria Immacolata, begun in 1961 and consecrated in 1966. As the final work of Pino Pizzigoni—an eclectic and innovative architect—the church embodies a synthesis of architecture and mathematics: a monumental and articulated exterior in deliberate contrast with a sober, linear interior, structured by rigorous rhythmic relations. Between 2015 and 2016, the building underwent restoration aimed at recovering its original textures; however, the use of plastic-like coatings and subsequent alterations to its liturgical and decorative scheme have compromised the author’s vision, raising broader critical issues concerning the conservation of modern architecture.
Copyright (c) 2025 Antonella Versaci, Alessio Cardaci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
L’isolato 314 di Messina. Il restauro appena completato della graniglia messinese /
The post-earthquake reconstruction of Messina in 1908 was a varied exercise in new architecture and unique construction techniques. A symbolic building is Palazzo Magaudda or Mallandrino-Coppedè, dating back to the 1920s, which except for partial elevation had never been restored still showing signs of bombing during World War II and fascist slogans on its facades. Its location between the Duomo and the new rationalist Palazzata on the harbour are also significant. The building is made of artificial stone in cement amalgam with Messina grit. The construction site was a journey into the past exploring methods, techniques, illustrating compositional layers, thicknesses, tools for scratching, engraving, bush hammering, grit to create refractions, red bricks for chromatic detachment, telling of mythological and apotropaic stories, narration of skills that intersect painted plaster and graffiti with arabesque tiles, lace-like parapets and capitals intertwined with history and spirituality.
Copyright (c) 2025 Clara Stella Vicari Aversa, Rosaria Catania Cucchiara, Celestina Fazia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Conservare l’intempestivo: riflessioni sulla vicenda del Memoriale italiano ad Auschwitz /
Developed by the BBPR studio and sponsored by ANED, the Italian Memorial at Auschwitz, which opened in 1980, was intended as a choral and immersive work, featuring a suspended spiral covered in canvases painted by Pupino Samonà, paired with Primo Levi’s narration and Luigi Nono’s music. Since 2008, two projects have been launched to preserve the Memorial: the Glossa Project for minimal restoration, and the subsequent Glossa XX1 project (2010-15) for a more comprehensive intervention. These projects raised questions about what it means to restore the untimely: a monument designed to be inconvenient risked being domesticated. Deemed unsuitable for the didactic aims of the Auschwitz Museum, the exhibition was closed in 2011 and eventually relocated to Florence. The Memorial’s ability to challenge memory as a source of conflict remains a landmark case in the debate over the restoration of modern works. Following its removal, many memorials in Eastern Europe were demolished.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gregorio Carboni Maestri, Virna Maria Nannei https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Gibellina nuova, un connubio di opere moderne di architettura e di arte che non può morire /
When talking about the new Gibellina, without fully understanding the soul of this village and its inhabitants, words are thrown to the wind: «the city of utopia, the failure of the ideal city, the ghost of what it wanted to be, ... ». The earthquake that struck the Belìce Valley on the night between January 14 and 15, 1968, affected the area and its landscape, but also the entire social and economic fabric, destroying not only the architecture. Old Gibellina was among the municipalities involved and then subject to total relocation. Thus, in the search for the genius loci, the history of the gibellinesi is reconstructed by creating a new city to remember their roots, to overcome the peasant origins of the previous settlement, and to bring about a social and cultural rebirth. Many internationally renowned architects and artists redesigned the appearance of the new earthquake-proof city. In the current debate on the restoration of the modern and in light of New Gibellina’s nomination as Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2026, this reality cannot be overlooked.
Copyright (c) 2025 Daniela Concas, Luigi Oliva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Eredità della Guerra Fredda tra dismissione, salvaguardia e riconversione /
Many U.S. chancelleries of the Cold War have been decommissioning, privatized and adaptively reused. Evidence of a relevant cultural-political program, even if authored by world-famous Modernist architects, they are often not adequately protected today. The conservation, reuse and expansion of the Oslo and London buildings are exemplary in this light. Both listed but with differences in limiting their erasing, they reveal some affinities in the treatment of the ‘Ancient‘ matter. Wider was the freedom granted in London in carrying out building innovations, such as gutting wholly the interiors, occupying fully the lot and putting up a massive raising. Even if in Oslo, where the chancellery is worth as national monument, the same type of additions took place ‘invisibly’, the result however preserved a Modernism icon rather than the real building. Jorge Otero-Pailos made here some sculptures by using the steel of the fence, so taken away from the landfill, thus inviting to reason on heritage and conservation as tools of social and cultural critics, multiplying the associated narratives.
Copyright (c) 2025 Marina D’Aprile https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Trasformare conservando: il restauro della Ex Manifattura Tabacchi a Firenze /
Built in the early 1930s following the architectural rationalist principles, Manifattura Tabacchi was an important production site in Florence, until its decommissioning in 2001. The Recovery Plan in 2019 marked the beginning of a virtuous process of urban regeneration, one that draws inspiration from the uniqueness of the monumental complex, not by turning it into a museum, but by reweaving it into the urban and social fabric in which it is embedded. The transition from the urban scale of the masterplan to the detailed scale of the restoration project for the individual buildings took place through a design process conducted in dialogue with the Soprintendenza, with the aim of reconciling innovation with preservation. Attention to detail, care in the reuse of materials, have made it possible to transform through preservation, opening the renewing spaces to new functions, and returning them to the community without irreparably losing their original character.
Copyright (c) 2025 Francesca Fabiani, Francesca Tiri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Metamorfosi del Moderno. Saul Bravetti, Gio Ponti e il Municipio di Cesenatico /
The year 1958 marked the beginning of the history of the new Town Hall of Cesenatico, to be realised on the site of the previous building, which had been severely damaged during the Second World War. It is the time period when the Pirelli Skyscraper was built in Milan and the year immediately following the inauguration of the Garzanti Foundation in Forlì, which would pave the way for Gio Ponti’s experience in Romagna. Although Saul Bravetti, a local 20th century architect, was initially called, the parallel involvement of Gio Ponti led to the final decision to take the opportunity to entrust the design of the new municipal building in Cesenatico to a renowned firm. Built in the early 1960s by the Brandolini company of Cesena, the new Town Hall of Cesenatico underwent a series of modifications during the design phase, the construction moment and its life, making it an emblematic case of modern metamorphoses.
Copyright (c) 2025 Giulia Favaretto https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Restituire identità al moderno. Rigenerazione e riuso dell’ex cinema Bologna /
The paper addresses the recovery of modern architecture, as a diffuse, hybrid heritage, shaped by the urban and social transformations of the ‘Short Century’. In Rome, the 20th-century ‘building hunger’ produced a landscape where speculative density and episodes of quality coexist, forming a partly forgotten reserve of urban value. The former Cinema Bologna (Morandi, 1947–49), later converted into a bingo hall and abandoned, becomes an emblematic case study of a recovery process combining conservation, reuse, and adaptation, restoring a public and cultural function to the space. The project, promoted by Libera and Berretta Associati, demonstrates that restoring the modern cannot be confined to a defensive, object-oriented approach but must take on a processual and cultural dimension, mediating between history, constraints, and new uses. In this sense, recovery operates as a palimpsest where material and immaterial practices converge to restore identity and a sense of belonging to the public city.
Copyright (c) 2025 Tommaso Berretta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Tradizione e modernità nei complessi manicomiali degli anni Trenta: conoscenza e prospettive di conservazione in Piemonte /
In the 1930s, the construction of psychiatric hospitals in Italy was rooted in a well-established design tradition, yet it introduced formal and technological experimentations that marked an opening towards modernity. The Piedmontese context offers significant examples in the complexes of Racconigi and Vercelli. At Racconigi, the new service pavilions adopted innovative solutions compared to earlier buildings, while at Vercelli Luigi Martini, from the Gardella-Martini practice, designed a layout combining typological continuity with updated construction methods, employing materials consistent with contemporary modern experimentations. Archival research, including the Gardella Archive, has brought to light new documents on the genesis and realisation of these complexes. Today, this heritage – marked by fragility and the absence of reuse strategies – calls for a reflection on intervention criteria for twentieth-century heritage, to be framed within the broader debate on the conservation of psychiatric hospital complexes.
Copyright (c) 2025 Daniele Dabbene https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Building Endurance: Renovation and extension of the Zurich Kongresshaus and Tonhalle (2017–2021)
The Zurich Convention Center (Kongresshaus Zürich, 1939) was designed by architects Haefeli Moser Steiger as a modern extension and further development of the late-nineteenth-century Zurich Tonhalle (1895). Starting as a centrepiece of the Swiss National Exhibition of 1939, the combined building complex has gradually become an important cultural institution and remains one of the most significant architectural works in Switzerland from the first half of the twentieth century. In the decades since its opening, the Kongresshaus and Tonhalle complex were further adapted in the 1950s and 70s, and controversially modified and renovated in the 1980s. This article aims to analyse key aspects of the renovation measures undertaken between 2017 and 2021 from a dual perspective—architectural and structural. In retrospect, it was the interdisciplinary collaboration that made it possible not only to preserve the integral spatial qualities of the building complex, but also to enhance them in a targeted manner. This process involved both the deconstruction of more recent structural additions and the necessary restoration and expansion of the historic load-bearing structures. Like Haefeli Moser Steiger’s original design, these recent interventions emphasize a distinct process known in German as weiterbauen, which stresses continuity and completeness in repair and renovation while respecting and enhancing the qualities of an existing work. While relatively little has been written or published on the recent renovation project, the proposed contribution brings to light a complex case study with important lessons for understanding an existing building and developing its overall and enduring qualities for a long-term future.
Copyright (c) 2025 Patrick Fleming, Reto Wasser https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Recuperare San Siro: tra modernità e sostenibilità. Strategie per un recupero consapevole dei quartieri di edilizia residenziale pubblica /
In the debate on modern heritage, the San Siro public housing neighbourhood in Milan is an emblematic case where urban issues, environmental challenges, social dynamics, and cultural values intersect. Built from the 1930s, San Siro reflects the work of architects who introduced rationalist principles. Like other parts of the 20th-century ‘public city’, it retains a strong identity, carrying a legacy of forms, spaces, and societal ideals. Over time, this heritage has declined both physically and symbolically. Today, San Siro is seen as an “inner periphery,” marked by poor maintenance and social fragilities. Regeneration plans have often had little success, sparking debate over demolition. Among these, the plan Rigenerare la città (Progetto CMR – Verga) advocates demolition and reconstruction, raising concerns about erasing its historical and cultural identity. This paper critically examines such approaches and explores strategies for recovery and reuse, positioning San Siro as a laboratory for inclusive, ecological, non-destructive regeneration.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gianfranco Orsenigo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Scenari futuri per il patrimonio fieristico. Ipotesi di conservazione, riuso e valorizzazione della Fiera di Cagliari /
The architectural production in Sardinia during the 20th century reflects the advancement of a modernity that deeply marked and transformed both urban and rural landscapes. Among its most significant witness is the Cagliari fairground, built from 1951 without a defined and unitary design, and progressively modified over the decades. Initially composed of temporary and simple structures, it later saw the construction of innovative buildings, drawn by both local designers and popolar Italian architects. Since the 1980s, however, the site has suffered inappropriate alterations, and demolitions due to a lack of cultural recognition. This study aims to (1) promote awareness of historical and architectural value of the site and its architectures, and (2) propose sustainable reuse strategies. The research is based on archival investigation, urban analysis, and a survey of the current state, assessing materials, construction techniques, and conservation issues.
Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Serena Pirisino https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Tra intentio auctoris e intentio operis: percorsi critici di eredità dell’architettura autoriale del secondo Novecento /
This paper reflects on the category of authorial heritage in twentieth-century architecture, addressing the epistemological and political dimensions implicit in the relationship between author and work. It considers the metamorphosis of the author from the second half of the century onwards – progressively emptied of the work itself and transformed into an image, a media construct within the architectural star system – and the consequences of this shift for conservation. Three critical pathways are examined: the re-involvement of the original author, the hereditary succession of relatives, pupils, or collaborators, and the poetics of the unfinished, which questions the legitimacy of possible completions. Through paradigmatic case studies, the analysis highlights heterogeneous outcomes – ranging from interpretation to rewriting and alteration – showing intervention as a critical space of negotiation between the primacy of the intentio auctoris and the autonomy of the intentio operis.
Copyright (c) 2025 Maurizio Villata https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Funzionalità e modernità: gli edifici per l’educazione fascista in Alba alla prova del tempo /
The experiments and discoveries of early 20th-century architecture yielded particularly significant results even in Italy's provincial contexts. The social and economic growth recorded in Alba led the fascist regime in the 1930s to build several youth-oriented buildings, including a boarding school and a gymnasium. Despite having very different architectural backgrounds, these two buildings represent the most important examples of the Modern movement in the city. They also stand as a testament to two important public works designed for education. After almost a century, the city's socioeconomic dynamics and the need for new functionalities in these two buildings required new projects. In light of the design choices made and based on the methodological guidelines of the scientific restoration community, this work aims to critically evaluate the two restoration projects, highlighting the decisions that were undertaken.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fabio Ambrogio https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Patrimoni al margine. Mimmo Paladino e la piazza dei Conti Guidi a Vinci (2001-2006) /
Environmental art plays a prominent role in the cultural landscape of Tuscany, expressed both through large-scale anthological parks—such as the Fattoria di Celle Park, the Garden of Daniel Spoerri, and Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden—and through site-specific installations that interact with the landscape and urban fabric. The reconfiguration of Piazza dei Conti Guidi in Vinci exemplifies the latter category. Notably, this architectural intervention has not been incorporated into local or national heritage protection frameworks. This paper examines the case of Vinci as a critical example. The project originated from a collaboration between the Municipality of Vinci and the association Arte Continua, active between 1999 and 2004 in promoting contemporary art across Tuscan villages. A design competition launched in 2001 assigned the commission to artist Mimmo Paladino, working with architect Nicola Fiorillo, a long-term collaborator. The square, formerly a residual space within the historic center, is surrounded by key landmarks, including the Church of Santa Croce, the rear façade of the nineteenth-century Town Hall, and the Palazzina Uzielli, now part of the Museo Leonardiano. The intervention pursued two aims: to redevelop the square and to redefine it as an introductory space to the museum. The installation occupies the entire surface of the square, with inclined planes of varying heights leading to a floor-level fountain adjacent to the museum entrance. The pavement is inlaid with silver mosaics evoking symbols associated with Leonardo da Vinci's work. Although the project underwent several revisions, the square was inaugurated in 2006. Crucially, however, no maintenance or monitoring strategy was implemented. While the site is recognized by urban planning regulations as a locus of contemporary art requiring protection and enhancement, it remains outside the scope of the Italian Cultural Heritage Code. Today, nearly two decades after its completion, the square shows advanced deterioration, including material losses, detachment of elements, and theft of decorative components.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rachele Domenichini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il restauro dell’assenza. La contemporaneità del Mausoleo di Augusto /
Piazza Augusto Imperatore is the result of a continuous succession of positive and negative stratifications on the ruins of the Mausoleum, built as a funerary memorial to Octavianus Augustus in the Campus Martius. The city has interacted with the monument throughout its historical periods. Abandonment in the Middle Ages and the removal of marble for calcination led to the collapse of the vaults. On top of the remains, the Soderini Garden was built in the 16th century, transformed into an amphitheater, and finally into the Auditorium Augusteo. The demolitions of the 1930s and the urbanistic plans isolated the ruins, bringing them into contemporary time and space. The liberation interventions created a void and a separation between the building and the city. Since the postwar period, interventions of restoration have been designed and implemented to fill the ‘absence’ of what had been lost. Contemporary solutions have engaged with the stratified physical presence and the urban space, through the ongoing development of the square, the result of a continuous dialogue between the memory of the pre-existing area and the interventions of the modern city.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alessandro Durantini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Patrimonializzare il giardino d’inverno nella sua natura polimaterica. Progetto, trasformazioni d’uso e conservazione della ser-ra sul lanificio Zegna a Trivero di Pietro Porcinai /
The paper emphasises the need to include winter gardens within the heritage-making processes, acknowledging their fragility due to the delicate balance between architecture and landscape, vegetation and minerals. Within this framework stands the winter garden designed by Pietro Porcinai for Aldo Zegna, between 1962 and 1964, on the roof of the wool mill in Trivero, recently included in the mapping of Censimento delle Architetture italiane dal 1945 ad oggi. The interventions relative to the repurposing of the complex into an archival and museum hub have modified its original spatial and compositional values, compromising the polymaterial nature of the work by privileging architecture over the garden. Ultimately, this case calls for reflection on the conservation of what re-mains authentic of the designer’s intuition and authorship, despite the transformation of its intended use.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ester Germani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
L’asilo Sant’Elia di Giuseppe Terragni, architettura per l’infanzia dagli anni Trenta all’attualità /
The Sant'Elia nursery school in Como, designed by Giuseppe Terragni (1934-1937), is a landmark in 20th-century architecture and restoration. Its long-standing educational use frames the building's ‘use value’ in the discipline of modern heritage conservation. Through a critical reading of the construction documents and subsequent interventions – a ‘rehabilitation’ in the 1960s, ‘philological restoration’ in the 1980s, modern restoration techniques in 1998-2001 – the paper highlights how each intervention is a compromise between the cultural context in which it is carried out, the choices suggested by disciplinary developments, and the materiality of the building, constituting a representative case for modern school buildings.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Greppi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Function versus Form. The Dancing Venue La Bussola and the Challenges of Conserving Modern Architecture
The dancing venue La Bussola, built in Marina di Pietrasanta between 1946 and 1948 by Baroni, Tempestini, and Porcinai, is an emblematic case of post-war leisure architecture. Originally conceived as a seaside facility, it quickly became a symbol of Italy’s entertainment society under Sergio Bernardini, gaining immediate cultural and social recognition. Architecturally, however, the building underwent radical transformations that compromised its original layout, allowing function to prevail over form and preventing an effective process of heritagization. Through archival research, this paper reconstructs the design phases and highlights the modernity of the original project, while underlining the paradox of its progressive alteration. The case demonstrates how historical knowledge remains a necessary condition for safeguarding the twentieth-century heritage.
Copyright (c) 2025 Pierpaolo Lagani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
When the Future Grows Old and Turns Young Again. The legacy of the Henry and Emma Budge-Heim
This paper explores the Henry and Emma Budge-Heim (1928–1930) as part of the New Frankfurt project and among the first modern care homes for the elderly. Designed by Erika Habermann, Ferdinand Kramer, Werner Moser, and Mart Stam, it embodied a model of collective living for the elderly. Its architecture promoted social interaction through shared spaces and routines, while balancing privacy and publicity. Drawing on sources like Ilse Bing’s photos, Bergmann-Michel’s film, and Das neue Frankfurt magazine, the study highlights how Budge-Heim extended private life into communal realms. Its restoration in 2000–2001 and reopening as a senior residence confirms its relevance today. As ageing emerges as a critical concern in contemporary architecture, this case offers insights into how spatial strategies can respond to evolving notions of care and later life.
Copyright (c) 2025 Silvia Narducci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The challenges in the restoration of the Capanema Palace, Rio de Janeiro
The Gustavo Capanema Palace, conceived during Getúlio Vargas’s administration as the Ministry of Education and Health, is a landmark of Brazilian modernism designed by Lúcio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer, and collaborators, with Le Corbusier’s guidance. Its pioneering features, as pilotis, brise-soleils, free plans, passive ventilation, and integration of art, furniture, and landscape, anticipated environmental concerns and symbolised national modernisation. Protected since 1948, the building has faced recurrent conservation challenges. Restoration campaigns since the 1980s culminated in the most extensive intervention, which began in 2019 and concluded in 2025. Guided by principles of minimal intervention, reversibility, and authenticity, the project addressed dilemmas such as replacing obsolete industrial materials and introducing discreet climate systems without compromising integrity. The case demonstrates how modernist heritage can be adapted to contemporary needs while preserving historical values.
Copyright (c) 2025 Liliane Janine Nizzola https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
L'ex Casa del Balilla a Civitanova Marche fra conserva-zione e restauro /
Starting in the 1920s, part of Italian architectural culture brought Italy closer to the most advanced European experiences: in its early stages, the Fascist regime embraced Italian Rationalism, entrusting its most important exponents with significant public commissions. This was the context in which the Case del Balilla were built, clearly representing the physical education and sports training of young fascists, under the direction of the Opera Nazionale Balilla. In the Marche region, the O.N.B. commissioned the construction of two Case, one in Macerata, designed by architect Mario Ridolfi, and the other in Civitanova Marche, a contemporary project by architect Adalberto Libera. Starting from the restoration work carried out on the second complex, this article aims to investigate a broader theoretical and critical reflection on the current debate concerning the conservation of modern architecture and future restoration work.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Laura Petracci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Intervenire su un’architettura d’autore degli anni Settanta: l’ex Scuola Pietro Lana a Ferrara /
The Pietro Lana Primary School, designed by Vieri Quilici and built in 1970-72, represents the focal point of the Foro Boario district, the first PEEP, designed by the same architect, in Ferrara. After years of abandonment, resulting in both conservation and structural issues, the Municipality of Ferrara initiated its adaptive reuse with PNRR funding, transforming the complex into a multifunctional family centre, designed by the consortium led by Città della Cultura/Cultura della Città. Although not subject to formal heritage protection, the project pursued careful preservation of its material, spatial and compositional qualities, while integrating the requirements for reuse and compliance. The construction site activities are revealing evident criticalities, highlighting the site as a valuable case study for defining a proper and aware approach of intervention on buildings, which, despite their recent construction chronology, display valuable material and architectural features.
Copyright (c) 2025 Luca Rocchi, Manlio Montuori, Marco Zuppiroli, Sergio Fortini, Elisa Uccellatori, Ilde Iacampo, Massimo Cavallin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Continuità fragile: nodi conservativi per le ricostruzioni novecentesche del Corridoio Vasariano /
The Vasari Corridor underwent significant interventions over the course of the 20th century, often prompted by historical or technical urgencies. The most recent restoration projects have focused on a reflection around the “restoration of previous restorations,” critically addressing 20th-century modifications, such as the false ceiling that was removed and reinstated, the post-war reconstruction of the arch over Via de’ Bardi, and the 19th-century openings. This article analyzes these interventions in light of archival sources, surveys, and structural investigations, offering a stratigraphic reading of the structure. The approach adopted is based on the principles of compatibility and historical memory, restoring the Corridor’s symbolic and museological function. As such, the case becomes a paradigm of critical restoration applied to a complex work, suspended between historical stratification and new conservation needs.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alice Rossano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il cantiere del nuovo ingresso alla Stazione di Santa Maria Novella di Gae Aulenti. Nuovi documenti per la conservazione e la manutenzione /
Through unpublished worksite documentation, this contribution reconstructs the construction phases of the new en-trance to Santa Maria Novella Station, built between 1989 and 1990 based on a design by Gae Aulenti, with Bianca Ballesterto. The photographs, executive drawings and worksite diary preserved in the archives of the construction company highlight significant aspects of the design and construction, shedding light on construction techniques and changes made during the works that are fundamental for the proper conservation and preservation of this impor-tant project by Gae Aulenti in Florence.
Copyright (c) 2025 Emanuela Ferretti https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Modularità e prefabbricazione in Italia nel Secondo Novecento. Sfide per la conservazione /
In post-war Italy the research about prefabrication largely went beyond the functional use of the elements. The theme of modularity, seriality and prefabrication was explored with many nuances: from the desire to combine the theme of prefabrication with the limits and the compositional and architectural potential of the systems, to the theme of modular coordination of architecture, in which they found space for a greater or lesser number of components, with their assembly leading to almost endless variations. Italy, unlike other European countries, never opted decisively and in a widespread way for this type of approach. However, it did develop its own response to this issue, on an occasional basis, in the period between the wars and in a broader and more highly articulated way in the 1950s and 60s. The paper intends to investigate the situation in Italy after the war regarding the prefabrication and its use in the construction process was highly articulated and manyfaceted. After an initial phase, which was characterized by a substantial time lag in this sector, in the Fifties a mature approach to the theme of industrialization in building was addressed at numerous national and international conferences, as well as in numerous projects.
Copyright (c) 2025 Francesca Albani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Tre progetti di restauro su edifici del Moderno /
This report presents a professional journey devoted to the restoration of modern architecture through three emblematic projects carried out between the 1980s and 2000s: the Kunstgewerbemuseum und Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich, the Hallenstadion in Zurich, and the Bauhaus in Dessau. The author, whose formative experience was influenced bu an experience in late-1970s socialist Poland, developed a deep and enduring focus on the Modern Movement and on the challenges of conserving twentieth-century architecture. The first case, the Zurich School and Museum of Applied Arts (1933, Egender and Steger), exemplifies a restoration approach based on in-depth material and chromatic analysis, aimed at preserving the building’s original constructive and polychromatic authenticity. The second project, the Hallenstadion (1938–39, Egender and Müller), highlights the need to reconcile heritage protection, functional adaptation, and economic sustainability—transforming a historic sports hall into a versatile contemporary venue while safeguarding its architectural integrity. Finally, the restoration plan for the Bauhaus in Dessau (1926, Gropius) establishes a scientific methodology for modern heritage conservation, grounded in material surveys, historical research, and the formulation of preservation guidelines in collaboration with the Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau and international heritage organizations. In conclusion, the experiences outlined define a methodological framework for the conservation of modern architecture based on knowledge, interdisciplinary analysis, and respect for historical and cultural value, ensuring the continued vitality of the Modern Movement’s built heritage.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ruggero Tropeano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Materia moderna, risposte su misura: esempi di restauro del calcestruzzo del ‘900 tra memoria e innovazione /
In the restoration of modern architectural heritage, where reinforced concrete is both structural and aesthetic, an interdisciplinary approach based on historical, iconographic and diagnostic analysis is essential. This method allows customised materials, consistent with each building’s features, overcoming standardised restoration unsuitable for prestigious works. In close collaboration between academia and industry, this contribution examines how material and conceptual compatibility can be pursued through calibrated mix designs tailored to interventions. The adopted solutions, supported by experimental testing, include assessments of physical-chemical compatibility, resistance to atmospheric agents, mechanical performance and architectural consistency, with reference to significant case studies such as Cabina C at Milan Central Station and the Palazzo degli Affari in Florence. Drawing on these experiences, the authors outline a design approach where technology, memory and design responsibility interact.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stefano Agnetti, Ilaria Biagetti, Vittorio Gusella, Riccardo Liberotti, Matilde Paolocci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il restauro conservativo della Casa Modernista de Gregori Warchavchik in Brasile (1927): abbandono e riuso nella conservazione della prima opera modernista brasiliana /
The first Brazilian modernist work was created by a Ukrainian immigrant, architect Gregori Warchavchik, who was trained in Italy. Built in 1927 for his own home, he renovated it himself in 1935. In 2002, the building was already legally protected and classified as a heritage site, but it was in ruin when architect Haroldo Gallo was commissioned to carry out the restoration project. The conservative restoration work was carried out in the early 21st century. The article will analyze the characteristics and contradictions of the work's two ‘languages’ (1927 and 1935) and construction techniques, as well as the conservation intervention and the adoption of a reuse strategy and, unfortunately, the work's current abandonment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Haroldo Gallo, Marcos Tognon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il Palazzo delle poste di Bergamo tra continuità d’uso e adeguamento funzionale /
In the first decennial of the Fascist era, on October 31, 1932, the new Post and Telegraph building was inaugurated in Bergamo. It was built on land donated by the municipality, based on a design by architect Angiolo Mazzoni, who was commissioned at the end of the 1920s. The design process was very quick because, from the outset, the municipality of Bergamo stipulated that the building should be in harmony with the architecture of the nearby Piacentini-designed administrative and commercial centre. Mazzoni's architecture is sober, but also monumental in its choice to place a clock tower on the south-west corner - a vertical element that dialogues with Piacentini's Torre dei Caduti in Piazza Vittorio Veneto - and five celebratory columns on the main façade supporting five bronze statues. For almost a century, the building remained exempt from major maintenance or renovation work. In 2014, a complex restoration and redevelopment project was launched to upgrade the systems and services and clean up the façades. This paper aims to highlight how the work carried out on the building has respected the salient features of the architecture of the Ventennio period, while adapting it to current usage requirements, with high standards requests.
Copyright (c) 2025 Giulio Mirabella Roberti, Monica Resmini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Restaurare un ‘documento/monumento’ del Moderno a Napoli: il Mercato Ittico di Luigi Cosenza (1929-1935) /
This paper offers a synthesis of the research carried out under the Collaboration Agreement (art. 15, Law 241/90) concerning the restoration and enhancement of the Fish Market of Naples, carried out in partnership between the Department of Architecture at the University of Naples Federico II and the Municipality of Naples. The collaboration has provided a valuable opportunity to deepen the building’s construction history, technical features and spatial characteristics. Designed by Luigi Cosenza for the Naples port area between 1929 and 1931, built between 1934 and 1935, the site has undergone neglect and deterioration in recent decades after bomb damages of 1943. The research resulted in the development of a Technical-Economic Feasibility Plan (PFTE), serving as a strategic tool for guiding subsequent design phases. Key themes include exploring innovative approaches to reuse obsolete structures and reconfiguring spatial and technological elements, such as glass blocks, iron fixtures and skylights.
Copyright (c) 2025 Andrea Pane, Giovanni Menna, Sara Iaccarino, Luigi Veronese https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Conservazione e sicurezza strutturale nel patrimonio novecentesco: spunti di riflessione per un indirizzo normativo /
The verification of structural safety and the consolidation of 20th-century architecture in ‘mixed’ or reinforced concrete structures are complex issues in the current debate, partly because the regulatory instruments governing structural restoration focus explicitly on masonry buildings but not on those featuring reinforced concrete components. In fact, designers, today, are led to study reinforcement solutions in which the objective of structural rehabilitation prevails, not always taking into account conservation requirements, upmost when it is necessary to increase the capacity to bear loads greater than the original ones and/or to ensure greater seismic solidity. An approach aimed at balancing static/dynamic requirements with those of protection represents, as in traditional construction, the goal of structural restoration, for which there is an urgent need for a regulatory reference specifically dedicated to 20th-century heritage of recognized architectural quality. This paper aims to address the topic, offering initial considerations with the help of a few examples of Roman buildings from the last century.
Copyright (c) 2025 Adalgisa Donatelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il restauro del Béton Brut negli edifici del movimento moderno. Durabilità versus linguaggio /
The architects of the Modern Movement and the Brutalists, aware of its mechanical properties, also used Béton Brut to experiment with its formal potential and emphasize the expressiveness of their works. However, excessive confidence in these possibilities, inadequate workmanship, aggressive atmospheric pollution and the physiological perishability of the materials led over the years to a decline in both the mechanical performance and durability and the expressiveness of the works. When the recognizability of the architectural value required the conservation of the buildings, the problem of formal restoration also emerged forcefully. Current technologies allow for restoration work that can remedy structural deficiencies and ensure greater durability of the artefacts, but when the intervention must restore the original image, perhaps by recovering the design of the formwork imprinted on the façade or recalibrating the original colors of the polished surfaces, the knowledge and technologies at our disposal do not always appear adequate.
Copyright (c) 2025 Claudio Piferi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
SITE B is the anti-nuclear bunker now known as West Star, located in the municipality of Affi, in the province of Verona. Due to its size and state of preservation, it represents a historical and engineering heritage of extraordinary significance – not only for Italy, but for Europe as a whole. Excavated into Monte Moscal, which overlooks the town of Affi, the bunker extends over approximately 13,000 square meters and includes more than one hundred rooms within concrete-lined tunnels, more than 200 meters underground. Built between 1960 and 1966, it stands as a silent witness to its era and is one of the largest protected military-origin sites in Italy. The project for its conservation and enhancement stems from research conducted by the Department of Architecture of the University of Florence, funded by the Municipality of Affi. The multidisciplinary team worked with the aim of developing three main lines of action: recovering and reorganizing documentary materials, outlining an initial plan for conservative restoration, and proposing a musealization project.
Copyright (c) 2025 Michelangelo Pivetta, Giovanni Minutoli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
La materia del moderno: dentro l’Ala Scarpa della Gypsotheca di Possagno. Metodi e analisi di lettura tra dati analitici e conoscenza storica /
The research outlines the knowledge process to assess the conservation strategy of the ‘Ala Scarpa’ of the Museum Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno (Italy). The study, commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and conducted by Università Iuav di Venezia, is based on unpublished data obtained through non-destructive investigations. A multi-scalar approach, grounded in geomatic surveys, thermographic diagnostics, sonic and ground-penetrating radar tests, and complemented by accelerometric dynamic analyses, enabled the development of a semantic model for evaluating the structural conservation condition. The methodology, applied in a diachronic perspective, made it possible to interpret the relationship between Carlo Scarpa’s design, the original construction phases and subsequent interventions. Thus, the contribution suggests a possible evaluation process through an open and transdisciplinary dialogue.
Copyright (c) 2025 Vincenzo Tinè, Emanuela Sorbo, Andrea Mantovani, Tommaso Moretto, Gianluca Spironelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Conservare il ‘Sistema Nervi’. I Saloni B e C a Torino Esposizioni /
The use of experimental construction solutions is one of the greatest challenges for the conservation of 20th-century architecture. Designer, entrepreneur and innovator in the development of reinforced concrete technology, Pier Luigi Nervi often built using the well-known system that took his name, which was based on the on-site construction of prefabricated elements and their reassembly. The complex organisation of the construction site into parts that characterizes the “Nervi’s System” encompasses a theoretical research process aimed at creating a monolithic structure, a fundamental property for structural strength. The methodological approach to restoration must therefore also consider the need to preserve the intangible value constituted by the underlying design and construction aspects: the technical-scientific cultural matrix, relating to his training period, together with empirical experimentation, as evidenced by the applied patents, become paradigmatic.
Copyright (c) 2025 Greta Bruschi, Francesca Pasqual https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Restaurare l’innesto contemporaneo. Il Castello di Rivoli quarant’anni dopo, tra obsolescenza, materia signata e prospettive future /
Andrea Bruno’s intervention at the Castle of Rivoli stands as one of the most iconic and well-documented examples of architectural restoration in 1980s Italy. Over forty years after its completion, a new and underexplored urgency emerges: how to conserve the contemporary additions introduced by Bruno in light of today’s evolving functional, regulatory, and managerial needs. Not only well-known elements such as the panoramic cantilever and the suspended steel staircase in the entrance, but also the modern resin-cement floors now show signs of fragility, due to the passing of time and use. Furthermore, thermo-hygrometric issues, safety shortcomings, and the lack of a long-term maintenance plan now pose pressing challenges. Bruno’s project invites a broader reflection on shifting values, the temporal boundaries of contemporaneity, and the need to critically reassess even the most celebrated interventions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Giorgio Danesi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Esperienze di cantiere nel sito UNESCO di Ivrea: il progetto di restauro come pratica di conoscenza /
This contribution offers a critical reflection on restoration practices at the UNESCO site of Ivrea, a 20th-century industrial city, gained through involvement in the restoration of buildings emblematic of Olivetti architecture. Recent experiences on buildings of historical, architectural and symbolic importance - Officine ICO, Centro Servizi Sociali, ex SERTEC - are presented to focus on technical and conservation choices and the critical issues in managing changes of use, material modifications and the coexistence of functional requirements and conservation needs. At the centre is the construction site as a space for verification and knowledge, where the theory of modern restoration is measured against operational challenges. The theme of the balance between philological conservation and compliance with regulations on energy efficiency, safety and comfort recurs. What emerges is the complexity of a relationship to be negotiated between conservation and transformation, between the protection of historical and cultural value and regulatory innovation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Cristina Natoli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
La casa-albergo ‘Galassia’ di Jaretti e Luzi a Torino. Cronache, riflessioni, appunti da un cantiere di restauro /
The emergency maintenance of the Galassia residential hotel in Turin—designed by architects Sergio Jaretti and Elio Luzi and carried out in 2012–2013 by architect Guido Aragona and engineer Anna De Agostini—offers an opportunity for critical reflection on approaches to the architectural heritage of the later twentieth century: a heritage not formally protected, yet identifiable for its architectural and experimental value. The building—an expression of avant-garde typological and formal research primarily oriented toward the livability of both private and shared domestic spaces—exhibited widespread structural and material pathologies, particularly in the roofing systems and the external infill masonry. The paper briefly outlines the project’s salient aspects, showing how even for ‘new’ architectures it is desirable to adopt a conservation-oriented approach whose operative principles are drawn from the restoration of historic structures.
Copyright (c) 2025 Tommaso Vagnarelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Il valore sociale per il restauro delle architetture liturgiche del Secondo Novecento: la Chiesa della Beata Maria Vergine a Larderello di Giovanni Michelucci e S. Maria della Libera di Aldo Loris Rossi /
Restoration of reinforced concrete churches constitutes a central challenge for the 21th century architectural conservation, especially when dealing with works by renowned authors of the post-war period. These liturgical architectures not only reflect structural and formal experimentation but also embody significant social and spiritual dimensions. The sensitivity required in their restoration is largely shaped by the liturgical community’s perception of their cultural and architectural value. This paper examines two case studies to highlight the decisive role of community reception: the Church of Santa Maria della Libera e del Santissimo Redentore in Portici (Naples) by Aldo Loris Rossi, and the Church of the Beata Vergine Maria in Larderello (Pisa) by Giovanni Michelucci. In the former, community hostility has led to substantial transformations that altered the original design intent, while in the latter, recognition of the architectural and authorial value has fostered preservation-oriented approaches. Through this comparison, the study argues that the long-term sustainability of restoration strategies for twentieth-century reinforced concrete churches depends on balancing architectural authorship with community acceptance, thereby ensuring both cultural continuity and liturgical relevance.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lorenza Elisa Buono https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
La Casa delle Armi al Foro Mussolini di Luigi Moretti: l’ambiguità delle fonti /
The most important work of the roman architect Luigi Moretti for the ONB represents, for the events concerning the 20th-century architectural heritage, a paradigmatic case. After a period of oblivion in the post-war years, it found itself at the center of a vortex of events that led to its physical and symbolic disruption. It became the manifesto of the movement of opinion that fought for the recovery of the modern architecture. Between 1998 and 2002, we conducted a campaign of studies and surveys that allowed us to follow the initial phase of the building’s recovery (2013). After a decade, a new phase of restoration began, which, amidst announcements and inaugurations, faced a predictable stagnation and the loss of important clues for the reconstruction of the original image. The contribution aims to critically address the extreme trust in the supposed completeness and reliability of sources, reassessing the role of direct investigation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Marco Giunta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
La conservazione delle superfici ceramiche nell’ architettura residenziale del secondo Novecento. Materiali e tecniche nel cantiere di restauro del condominio di via Crivelli a Milano /
This contribution explores the techniques and materials used in the conservation of ceramic surfaces in residential buildings built in Italy during the second half of the twentieth century – structures that are rarely subject to protection measures, yet represent significant examples of expressive experimentation and technical innovation. These reflections developed within the context of an internship experience at the restoration company ‘Belluschi s.r.l.’, undertaken as part of the doctoral program to which the author belonged. Regular site visits to the restoration works of an apartment building constructed in Milan between 1965 and 1967 – completing the block between Via Carlo Crivelli and Via Quadronno – made it possible to monitor the solutions, techniques, and materials employed in the conservation of the ceramic surfaces of the façades and private terraces. The cream-caramel colored tile cladding on the curvilinear façades exhibited, prior to the start of the restoration, various forms of degradation due to exposure to weathering, as well as localized, unsympathetic replacements that failed to respect the qualities of the original materials. The ceramic elements underwent a range of conservation treatments, from mechanical and chemical cleaning to material and pictorial reintegration. The cement tiles of the terraces, distinguished by a raised white and pink pattern, also showed various forms of deterioration. In addition to mechanical and chemical cleaning, localized reintegration was carried out, along with the installation of a new water drainage system – an intervention that preserved the existing slopes and avoided more invasive work that would have compromised the conservation of the ceramic cladding.
Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Magri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Torre al Parco a Milano. Il lavoro di Belluschi 1911 tra strategie metodologiche e collaborazione interdisciplinare /
The restoration of modern architecture requires a shared methodological framework that combines preliminary analysis, close dialogue with clients, and collaboration between designers and contractors. The case of Torre al Parco in Milan (1953–56, V. Magistretti and F. Longoni), restored by Belluschi in 2023–24, involved historical, visual, and diagnostic surveys to document stratifications and to interpret the original design intentions. The project focused on preserving the architectural image, recovering construction details, and implementing respectful upgrades to building services, while addressing issues of decay and functionality. Mediation with a diverse private ownership proved integral to the process, showing how awareness-raising and technical experimentation can converge into strategies that balance conservation requirements with contemporary living needs.
Copyright (c) 2025 Carlo Nessi, Ivo Belluschi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Ossario Commemorativo dei Caduti Jugoslavi a Barletta. Dal cantiere di costruzione al cantiere di restauro /
The Ossuary of the Yugoslav Fallen in Barletta is the largest and earliest of four monuments in Italy dedicated to the People’s Liberation War, built after diplomatic agreements between Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Italy in the 1960s. Designed by sculptor Dušan Džamonja and inaugurated in 1970, it stands within the city cemetery on land granted to the Yugoslav government, housing the remains of about 800 soldiers. Its custody and maintenance were entrusted to the Yugoslav Embassy in Rome. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, disputes over ownership arose, preventing legal protection under Italian heritage law. Today, the monument suffers from severe neglect and structural instability, threatening the collapse of part of its seaside terrace. Archival records on construction techniques and later repairs, combined with innovative digital survey methods, provide essential knowledge for a conservation plan, focusing on the most vulnerable material and structural issues.
Copyright (c) 2025 Enrico Toniato https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0