The time of the short twentieth century. Growth of values and decay of matter

Abstract

The article deals with some cultural and methodological reflections developed within a European research project focused on the enhancement of the architectural heritage built in the first half of Twentieth Century. On such a heritage, which has still not been historicised, the community as a whole does not express unanimous judgements of value; at the same time, it is extremely fragile with respect to the aggressive actions linked to the passage of time. In fact, the time of the «short age» acted in different ways, increasing the value of the architectures (with regard to their critical fortune and authorship) but, also, highlighting their intrinsic fragilities and, sometimes, their design and constructive defects. The research just launched aims at defining some criteria, shared at an international level, to identify the most significant buildings/artefacts and the most appropriate methodologies of social inclusion and of technical nature for their conservation and future valorisation. We will do so also taking into account the unforeseeable effects the recent pandemic will have on our lives and cities.