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This paper focuses on the investigation and understanding of the industrial heritage designed and built in the Campania region, between Naples and Caserta, by the most important Italian architects and engineers in the post-war season. The principal aim of this paper is to present the rich and heterogeneous catalogue of factories designed in these years through unpublished drawings and photos from the building sites. These examples show a notion of modularity that brings interesting innovations in terms of on-site prefabrication of modular components and construction systems. The construction of these factories is therefore in contrast with Italy's traditional building techniques based on craft approach and intense use of labour. The project of these factories is the outcome of the effort of famous architects and engineers, such as Lugi Figini e Gino Pollini, Angelo Mangiarotti, Marco Zanuso, Eduardo Vittoria, and Gigi Ghò, who experimented new structural solutions based on the orderly and coherent composition of prefabricated elements. This research stems from the revitalised interest in studies of prefabrication in Italy between the 50's and the 70's of the last century, and is focused on the innovative aesthetics outcomes developed from it. In addition, this paper contributes to evaluate the qualitative connections between construction, geography and labour, assessing the friction between the advanced products and knowledge imported from the North and the agricultural vocation of these regions. The paper will also put in relation the development of prefabrication systems in the less-developed South of Italy in the wider context of the great industrialization boosted by political decisions and the government financial help of the "Cassa del Mezzogiorno". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the concept of the dispositif and develop arguments as to its value in reconceptualising the social function of architecture. The notion of the dispositif is derived from the writings of Michel Foucault and is explored in respect to the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. The notion of the dispositif of concern emerges from Foucault's concepts of an apparatus that manages relationships of power between different bodies and organisations. Foucault considers the dispositif to be at once object and apparatus - a dynamic tension that is well recognised by theorists of architecture as a potentially productive condition. It is upon this dynamic tension that the present paper will focus and present an exploration of Giuseppe Terragni's Casa del Fascio as an example of an architectural dispositif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the life and scientific career of Paolo Chini (1928–1980), an Italian chemist with a great experimental ingenuity. In Italy and abroad he really represented a key figure for his fundamental industrial and academic research. He took an active part on the development of polypropylene polymer synthesis pathway together with Giulio Natta and he has been a pioneer for the synthesis and characterization of high nuclearity metal carbonyl clusters: a borderline discipline between molecular and solid-state chemistry. This work also includes eyewitness testimonies of Chini's close friends and relatives, in order to give the reader an accurate biography of this scientist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Quintana: Revista do Departamento de Historia da Arte USC is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Attempting to highlight the specificity of the architect Milan Lojanica's design approach, clearly distinct in his first professional decennary 1962-1972, the focus of this paper is on his firstly designed and developed, and afterwards awarded architectural masterpiece, which he realized with his associates, architects Cagić and Jovanović - i.e. the urban suprastructure of Julino brdo/Jula's hill (1967-1970). As fifty years has passed from its first drawings, and the project documentation consists of exceptionally rare fragments only, one of the main goals of the research was the attempt to reconstruct the complete creative process - including its particular modality of construction/materialization. Although in its results merely a brief recapitulation of Lojanica's innovative beginnings, the discourse still may provide a source-material for the genre of textbooks - from student to technical practice - regarding the rarest and almost forgotten discipline of experimental urban (mass)housing, with artistic/spiritual/serene touch of a refined prefabricated system. Nonetheless, the opus of the eminent author, the respected creative endeavor of Milan Lojanica, future professor of architecture and the SASA academic, arises from its earliest stages and then permanently confirms itself as an entirety in its continuity. Therefore, the small-scale Julino brdo/Jula's hill settlement case study is reanalyzed/rethought within Lojanica's antecedent thematic preoccupations, and additionally within the most challenging subsequent one - the Gocław project (1972), Poland (Polska), throughout its emerging, unrivaled, innovatively envisioned - town/city of hundred-thousand-inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Drawing Ideas Images / Disegnare Idee Immagini is the property of Gangemi Editore S.P.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The beginnings of independent Hungarian monument preservation go back to the first half of the 19th century. The undertaking to form a legal body for the registration and protection of monuments began in the 1840s, with the National Monument Committee finally established in 1881. The paper analyses the most important Hungarian restoration works in the context of Italian monument restoration theories and practices of the investigated timespan; it also highlights the determining role of the Hungarian Academy in Rome through its patronage programmes for architects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pair of identical porphyry vases from the Royal Palace is a part of the art collection of the Palace Complex of Dedinje. Namely, they are pieces of art designed by the royal architect E. A. Petitot (1727-1801) at the Royal Palace of Philip I, The Duke of Parma (1748-1765). The research conducted up to the present date, as well as the published papers, point out the existence of three more pairs of identically shaped vases made in the last quarter of the 18th century, one of which can at present be found in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the other two in private collections, whereas the vases of the royal collection have not been accessible to the public for a long time. The vases are the finest examples of the Neoclassical style of French applied art, the signature mark of the most prosperous part of the reign of Louis XV. Identical in size, material and modeling, they were made in the shape of a cup on a base, encrusted with gilded drapes, with cast iron handles in the shape of lions. Gilded leaves with the bodies of two snakes coiled around make the base of the vase core. The powerful sculptoral decoration of the vases emphasizes exactly their complex symbolism. Thus, the figures of lions glorify the profane and sacral power of the sovereign, pointing out as well the constant alertness of the guardians of his power and strength. As the symbols of the beginning and the end, the eternal cycle of birth and death, the representation of snakes coiled around the foot may be interpreted in the sense of the transient nature of time and destiny as well as the sovereign's power that can overcome everything. Judging by their artistic modeling and sculptural decoration, it is assumed that the porphyry vases were ordered by an aristocrat, or were a part of the decorating concept of a royal palace space. Porphyry as a symbol of the sovereign's dignity -- decorated with figural representations, symbols of the sovereign's power and strength and their everlasting nature -- is a piece of art which could have been created in the framework of the politics of the sovereign's presentation. As such, the vases represent highly valuable pieces of art and they certainly held a significant place within the framework of the politics of the Yugoslav monarch's presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Italian construction industry was rocked by the scandals regarding procurement by the public sector during the early 1990s. Although not confined to construction, the role of the state in construction demand meant that it was one of the most heavily implicated sectors. Known as 'tangentopoli', the scandals have prompted a major reform of public sector procurement in the Italian industry which, combined with changes required to conform with EU directives, is leading to a profound cultural change in the industry. This paper provides an authoritative review of the changes in the procurement codes and the roles and relationships within the construction industry. It shows how the project management of public sector programmes is being strengthened, and how the procurement of the design and construction processes is being separated to provide greater transparency in the process. Although it is too soon to tell what the actual impact of these changes will be upon construction industry practice, some suggestions are made in the concluding comments. En Italie, le secteur de la construction a ete secoue par les scandales concernant les approvisionnements par le secteur public au debut des annees 1990. Bien que n'etant pas limitee a la construction, la part de l'Etat dans la demande pour les travaux de construction temoignait que c'etait bien l'un des secteurs les plus impliques. Connus sous l'appellation de 'tangentopoli', ces scandales ont declenche une vague de reformes qui a touche les approvisionnements par le secteur public qui, combines aux changements necessaires pour se conformer aux directives de l'UE, conduisent a un profond changement culturel de cette industrie. La presente communication constitue une etude documentee des changements qui affectent les codes d'approvisionnement ainsi que les roles et les relations qui s'etablissent au sein de l'industrie de la construction. Elle montre comment la gestion de projets, lorsqu'il s'agit de programmes du secteur public, se trouve renforcee et comment la fourniture de prestations d'etudes et de travaux de construction joue en faveur d'une plus grande transparence du procede. Bien qu'il soit trop tot pour dire quel impact auront ces changements sur les pratiques dans le secteur de la construction, l'auteur conclut en faisant certaines recommandations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post-Second World War period, Italian architects opened up a debate on the role of history and time in architectural discourse that resulted in multiple interpretations of historical time in their work. Vittorio Gregotti, one of the main protagonists of the discussion, offered an interpretation of time based on an assemblage of intellectual tendencies, from phenomenology to structuralism and the history of the longue durée. This paper traces ideas that Gregotti developed in his less known and as-yet un-translated texts such as Il territiorio dell’architettura from 1966 as well as in his project for the University of Calabria from 1972. In these, Gregotti makes an original contribution to the problem of history in relationship to urban and natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper presents an analysis of texts written by Camillo Boito, an Italian architect, theoretician and critic of architecture and restoration, in the 1860s. The texts were published in the newspaper La Perseveranza and the journals Il Politecnico and Nuova Antologia. By analysing Boito's tractates on competitions, current state of architectural design and the need for the creation of a national architecture the author places texts within a political context of the Italian unification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the architectural history of Roman Emperor Nero's Domus Aurea or Golden House explored by Charles Cameron in 1768 in Italy. Cameron's folio volume "The Baths of the Romans," published in 1772 was one of the only four books produced which dealt with the remains of the Roman as opposed to Greek sites. It is asserted that what he understood to be the ruins of the Baths of Titus were those of the Baths of Trajan or the remains of the Golden House. However, confusion on the site history was removed by archeologist Rodolfo Lanciani in 1895. Yet, this paper argued that they have been delinquent in overlooking the evidence offered by Cameron's description of the Domus Aurea.

Impetuous, versatile, nonconformist Florentine architect Vittorio Giorgini (1926–2010), son of Giovan Battista, pioneer of Made in Italy around the world, built his work on the experimental study of forms connected to the natural world and on the analysis of vernacular construction, the basis of cultural expression for a community. Giorgini's design process was based on the direct observation of natural structures and the design and construction of models, the fundamental and essential element of all his research. His investigations began with the study of such curved systems as shells and membranes, curiosity about tensile structures and analysis of octahedral and dodecahedral geometrical shapes. Giorgini's urban architectural journey took place within the complex world of "Spatiology", a term coined by Giorgini, where his studies on the interaction between humans, the environment and nature converged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results of the static and dynamic assessment of the dome of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi, designed by Galeazzo Alessi. The first section is devoted to an overview of the masonry domes designed by the Italian architect and focuses on the structural solutions adopted in the several cases described to better understand Alessi’s designing skills. In the second part, the drum-dome system is analyzed in order to attain a structural assessment. The static assessment is performed by means of limit analysis and finite element model approaches with non-linear mechanical behavior. The obtained results are consistent with the detected crack pattern and confirm the suitability of the reinforcement steel rings applied to the drum. The seismic assessment has been performed by response spectrum analysis. Due to the lack of specific information, a probabilistic approach for the material mechanical properties was used. The results obtained highlight an adequate seismic response of the structure that can be attributed to the dynamic properties of the slender drum-dome system. This finding justifies the good performance of the structure during the seismic events of 1832 and 1997. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers information on the concept of architecture as an art of drawing. Topics discussed include the emergence of architect as a creator of drawings in early 15th century Italy, Renaissance architecture designs, and architecture theories of Leon Battista Alberti. It also mentions the three-dimensional (3D) models in architecture and digital tools in contemporary and modern architecture.

Italy in the eighteenth century was a constellation of states, each with its own particular characteristics. Italian engineers and architects, like those in the rest of Europe, defined their competencies by progressively differentiating their roles, thanks as well to a long period of peace between 1748 and the French revolution that Italy enjoyed. Their professional profiles depended on the various forms of recruitment, from theoretical education to practical training provided by the state or the corporations, which brings us to the history of universities, academies andthe creation of pedagogical institutions, both in the military and in the civilian sphere. If in Europe, and above all in England and in France, the process of differentiation between the two professional figures at the end of the 1700s appeared to be advanced, professional roles in Italy were conditioned either by the hegemonic presence of the central administration and of the local aristocracy or by the land and commercial middle classes. It was not until the Napoleonic age that we find a clear notion of the separation and identification of the two roles, along with a clear-cut intention to use uniform methods of recruitment based on competence and merit. Although the results were not the same everywhere, the basis was laid for new and more informed ways to practice the professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the personal library of Italian architect Luigi Vanvitelli, kept in Rome, Italy. The author relates Vanvitelli's interest in reading to his architectural style, seen as either Baroque or Neoclassical. Vanvitelli's reading of poetry and drama as a young man is discussed, along with his interest in hydraulics. His library contained books on geometry, statistics, and ancient history. The architect helped publish a work on Neapolitan history, drawing large images of capital letters that opened the book's chapters. Building plans designed by Vanvitelli are presented and analyzed.

The rebuilding of Villa Mirabello started in 1666. Built on designs of Gerolamo Quadrio, the project refurbished and enlarged a smaller 16th century country house (‘casa da nobile e da massaro’). Archival documents report on the remodelling, which consisted of selective demolition of portions of the structure, re-using most of the masonry as the core of the new building, and the reinforcement of retained masonry by insertion of ‘ceppo’ stone quoins to update new exteriors. The aim of Quadrio was to create an elegant and sumptuous mansion, suitable for noble owners such as Giuseppe Durini and his family. The plan and a small part of original finishing (‘marmorino’ plaster decoration) are recognizable nowadays. Nevertheless, there are many questions in interpretation when one compares the documents and the building. That is, Cardinal Angelo Durini made a major modification in the 18th century, and further minor changes were made in the 19th century. Although these latter modifications did not alter the plan, they changed the distribution of rooms and masked both decoration and finishing. After over 20 years of neglect, Villa Mirabello is now close to being restored. Architects in charge ordered a preliminary set of diagnostics to assess damage and study the historical evolution of the building. Integration of IR thermography (IRT) and endoscopy allowed restorers to detect the structure's texture underneath the plaster, and to detect openings filled with masonry. Moreover, archive documents confirmed these results and, above all, defined a date for the use of specific building techniques. This research constitutes a reference for buildings set in the same time and location that do not have significant archival documentation. Active IRT provided useful information for structural assessment (such as location of arches, chimney stacks, different thickness of wall, wooden elements, voids, beams etc.) and for crack pattern evaluation. This information directs design professionals working on this conservation project, and helps define the costs of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explains that the musical concepts of Luigi Nono, who was a close friend of the Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa, offers new insights into Scarpa's concepts about time in architectural conservation. It is observed that when Scarpa was asked for a plan to renovate the 14th-century Castelvecchio in Verona, he also considered the fourth dimension of time in addition to the usual three dimensions.