Modern Construction in Italy: the Institute of Mathematics in Bologna

Abstract

During the second half of the twentieth century, the synthesis of the analytical and theoretical components of the design cultures with the practical and experimental aspects of the construction domain became central. In Italy, on the one hand, the use of reinforced concrete construction systems has continued to spread from the previous decades; on the other, spatial composition theory, strongly linked to the emerging social, political, and economic needs, imposed sharp breaks between the pre- and post-World War II design practice. Within this background, a tendency known as “architectural realism” was defined when mixed masonry-concrete building systems began to exhibit their own figurative and spatial qualities, also expressing the “craft-type” building sites of the time. A representative case study of this period of paradigm shift is the Institute of Mathematics of Bologna (1955–1965), designed by Giovanni Michelucci, one of the so-called “first generation” of Italian modern architecture masters. This paper aims to evaluate and contextualize the extensive technical repertoire of the building, critically analyzing the time’s technological culture and the productive, economic, and social processes underpinning its ideation and realization. In the text, specific knowledge about the construction characteristics of the building elements is provided and associated with the spatial attributes of the architecture hosting them. In particular, a cross-analysis is carried out between information gathered by archival-historical research methods, digital surveys and information technologies. The result is the systematization of the knowledge about the building to inform its renovation and conservation processes.