Conservation and modern architecture. Fortune and misfortune of the School of Mathematics at Rome University (G. Ponti, 1932-1935)

The framework of the Italian restoration doctrine is based on the reception and transmission of the memory of the past. However, interventions in modern architecture represent a radical drift in the sense that they mostly consist of reconstructions, refurbishments, and renovations. Such work disregards the sense of value acknowledgment that is implicit in architectural conservation and neglects the importance of material conservation. The un even fortune of the School of Mathematics at Rome's University Campus illustrates this situation. This predicament is similar to that of many other modern buildings that have been declared “monuments” by mouth but are actually bent to listless and insensible use, mistreated, and hardly maintained. The recent work carried out at the School of Mathematics proves that interventions on modern buildings are mostly insensitive to their true significance and are often carried out in extreme urgency for mere practical reasons, if not for political opportunities. Modern buildings can be true architectural monuments that express great esthetic potentials and retain notable historical weight in the history of architecture; therefore, they should be regarded as highly representative of our recent past and maintained as such

LUCIANO BOI, ANDREA CANNAS, LUCA VARGIU (eds.) - Abitare. Approcci interdisciplinari e nuove prospettive

Luciano Boi, Andrea Cannas, Luca Vargiu (eds.)Abitare. Approcci interdisciplinari e nuove prospettiveCagliari: UNICApress, 2019. 173 pp. Softcover. Language: Italian. Open accessISBN: 978-88-3312-009-6Luciano Boi, Andrea Cannas, Luca Vargiu (eds.)Abitare. Approcci interdisciplinari e nuove prospettiveCagliari: UNICApress, 2019. 173 pp. Tapa blanda. Idioma: italiano. Open accessISBN: 978-88-3312-009-

Issues of energy retrofitting of a modern public housing estates. The ‘Giorgio Morandi’ complex at Tor Sapienza, Rome, 1975-1979

Energy retrofitting of historical residential buildings represents today an interesting challenge of the building sector. This is true especially in Italy where great part of the national buildingstock dates back to pre-modern and modern times and, especially, to the decades between the 1960s and the 1980s. Most of these buildings, in fact, offerthermal performances that are inadequate to current requirements in terms of energy efficiency, human comfort as well as to seismic safety. This study focuses on the energy retrofitting of public housing estatessuch as the“Giorgio Morandi” complex at Tor Sapienza in Rome. The upgrading of this complex is outlined, taking into account issues of energy saving but, also, constraints related to the historical values of the buildings. Intervention options able to improve energy efficiency are therefore foreseeable only in strict observance of cultural heritage values, which entails a deep analysis and survey of the existence in order to identify respectful, correct and feasiblesolutions

Il Re è nudo! Riflessioni sullo stato di conservazione del patrimonio architettonico di Le Corbusier a cinquant’anni dalla morte

La recepción del patrimonio cultural de Le Corbusier es un asunto complicado y múltiple que implica un análisis crítico de sus obras, que también considera cuestiones relativas a su conservación y transmisión al futuro. Alcanzado entre los años veinte y los años sesenta, las obras arquitectónicas de Le Corbusier se han resistido inevitablemente y, en muchos casos, han caído en un deterioro patológico. Las obras de conservación, restauración, reconstrucción y reparación han modificado su consistencia y su estado de autenticidad. Esta amplia gama de experiencias pone de manifiesto que el verdadero objetivo es mantener el patrimonio de Le Corbusier en una intacta permanencia, reconociendo sus valores simbólicos y emblemáticos mucho más que los históricos y los de memoria. Consecuentemente, con el paso del tiempo, los historiadores se vuelven inconscientes del hecho de que reflexionan sobre obras arquitectónicas que están siendo completamente modificadas, transformadas y alteradas. De hecho, sus valoraciones críticas se basan en un patrimonio siempre cambiante, lo que influye en la construcción de la historia arquitectónica y en la transmisión de este patrimonio. Cincuenta años después de la muerte de Le Corbusier hay tiempo para los balances históricos, lo que implica una evaluación previa de lo que aún persiste de sus obras y la comprensión de cómo y por qué este patrimonio ha sido modificado, considerando cuidadosamente lo que todavía es materialmente "auténtico". Tal evaluación parece hoy esencial en vista de una verdadera conservación del patrimonio arquitectónico de Le Corbusier, y más allá

Mirada crítica sobre la vivienda colectiva actual. Conversación con Carmen Espegel

Carmen Espegel is Professor of Architectural Projects at the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (ETSAM). Her career has encompassed three closely interrelated fields of activity: teaching, research and the profession of an architect. With her published works and her design projects she has bridged the gap between critique and practice of architecture, specifically, contemporary collective housing. Her profound knowledge drives apart from the purely theoretical and offers the viewpoint of a seasoned architect. She leads the Master of Advanced Architecture in Madrid and the Master in Collective Housing, which is jointly run by the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. She has collaborated with numerous universities in Europe, South America, the United States and Canada—this interview took place in Quebec, where Carmen is Visiting Professor at the city’s Laval University. Her research activity, focused on three fundamental branches—collective housing, critical theory and women and architecture—has driven her to lead the Collective Housing Research Group (GIVCO) and capture her critical thinking, with an important contribution in the area of residential design. In her role as a professional architect, her extensive and wide-ranging activity in tenders and works, which have received international recognition and awards, complements her incursions on the present-day manifestations of habitat, contributing to its development. Our conversation is organised in several themes that serve to connect personal reflections and aspects on the contemporary alternatives inherent in collective housing.La trayectoria de Carmen Espegel, Catedrática de Proyectos Arquitectónicos de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, enlaza tres campos íntimamente relacionados, la docencia, la investigación y la profesión. Su obra publicada y construida, transita entre la crítica y la práctica de la arquitectura, y en concreto la vivienda colectiva de nuestro tiempo. Su extenso conocimiento se aleja de la vertiente teórica, para mostrar la mirada experimentada de una arquitecta. Es docente del Master en Proyectos Arquitectónicos Avanzados de la ETSAM y el Master in Collective Housing (MCH) impartido por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid y el Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH de Zurich, y ha colaborado con numerosas universidades de Europa y América. En la actualidad es profesora invitada en Université Laval, Quebec, Canadá, desde donde nos concede esta entrevista. Su investigación, centrada en tres líneas fundamentales - mujer y arquitectura, crítica arquitectónica y vivienda colectiva -, le ha llevado a dirigir el Grupo de Investigación en Vivienda Colectiva (GIVCO), y plasmar su pensamiento crítico, con una importante aportación en la esfera residencial. En el ámbito profesional, la dilatada actividad formada por múltiples concursos y una extensa obra, ampliamente difundida y premiada, complementan sus incursiones en las actuales manifestaciones del hábitat, contribuyendo a su evolución. La conversación está estructurada en diversas temáticas, que permiten vincular aspectos y reflexiones personales sobre las alternativas contemporáneas que ofrece la vivienda colectiva

The King is Naked! Authenticity and conservation of Le Corbusier’s architectural works 50 years after his death

La recepción del patrimonio cultural de Le Corbusier es un asunto complicado y múltiple que implica un análisis crítico de sus obras, que también considera cuestiones relativas a su conservación y transmisión al futuro. Alcanzado entre los años veinte y los años sesenta, las obras arquitectónicas de Le Corbusier se han resistido inevitablemente y, en muchos casos, han caído en un deterioro patológico. Las obras de conservación, restauración, reconstrucción y reparación han modificado su consistencia y su estado de autenticidad. Esta amplia gama de experiencias pone de manifiesto que el verdadero objetivo es mantener el patrimonio de Le Corbusier en una intacta permanencia, reconociendo sus valores simbólicos y emblemáticos mucho más que los históricos y los de memoria. Consecuentemente, con el paso del tiempo, los historiadores se vuelven inconscientes del hecho de que reflexionan sobre obras arquitectónicas que están siendo completamente modificadas, transformadas y alteradas. De hecho, sus valoraciones críticas se basan en un patrimonio siempre cambiante, lo que influye en la construcción de la historia arquitectónica y en la transmisión de este patrimonio. Cincuenta años después de la muerte de Le Corbusier hay tiempo para los balances históricos, lo que implica una evaluación previa de lo que aún persiste de sus obras y la comprensión de cómo y por qué este patrimonio ha sido modificado, considerando cuidadosamente lo que todavía es materialmente "auténtico". Tal evaluación parece hoy esencial en vista de una verdadera conservación del patrimonio arquitectónico de Le Corbusier, y más allá.The reception of Le Corbusier’s cultural heritage is a complicated and many-fold matter that implies a critical analysis of his works, which also considers issues concerning its conservation and transmission to the future. Achieved between the Twenties and the Sixties, Le Corbusier’s architectural works have inevitably weathered and, in many cases, have fallen in a pathologic disrepair. Conservation works, restorations, reconstructions and repairs have then modified its consistency and, also, its state of authenticity. This wide range of experiences shows that the true aim is here to maintain Le Corbusier’s heritage in an ever-lasting intactness, acknowledging its symbolic and iconic values, much more than historical and memory ones. Consequently, as time goes by, historians become unaware toft e fact that they ponder upon architectural works that are being thoroughly modified, transformed and altered. Their critical assessments are, in fact, based upon an ever-changing heritage, and this influences the making of architectural history and the transmission of this heritage. Fifty years after Le Corbusier's death is time for historical balances, which imply a previous evaluation of what still persists of his works and the understanding of how and why this heritage has been modified, carefully considering what is still materially ‘authentic’. Such evaluation seems today essential in view of a truthful conservation of Le Corbusier’s architectural heritage, and beyond

A vila olímpica de roma 1960-2011: por um reconhecimento histórico-crítico

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The uncertain future of modern public residential housing: the case of th Olympic Village in Rome

Il riconoscimento del valore dell’architettura moderna e la sua conservazione non è materia acquisita, specie se si tratta di edilizia residenziale pubblica. Dopo il 2000 l'esistenza del Villaggio Olimpico di Roma, fra gli insediamenti italiani più significativi del Novecento, è giunta a un bivio in seguito alla realizzazione del nuovo auditorium nelle sue vicinanze che ha innescato un processo di riqualificazione urbana e di repentino ricambio dei suoi abitanti che, però, non garantisce la tutela dell'ormai storico quartiere. Interventi sempre più frequenti tendono ad adeguare gli alloggi agli attuali standard abitativi e di performance energetica producendo modifiche sull’involucro edilizio, specie con la sostituzione degli infissi originari. Una meditata revisione dell'equilibrio energetico degli edifici rappresenta, qui e altrove, il punto d'intersezione fra questioni di restauro dell'architettura e di ricerca tecnologica e solleva la necessità di riflettere su questioni disciplinarmente trasversali per coniugare trasformazione e conservazione del luogo.The assessment of the cultural value of modern architecture and its conservation are not easily accepted issues, especially in the case of public residential housing. Since year 2000, the life of the Olympic Village in Rome, one of Italy's 20th century most relevant public residential settlements, is at a crossroad after the building of the new auditorium in its vicinity has triggered an urban redevelopment process and a sudden turnover of its inhabitants. However, this urban redevelopment does not ensure adequate conservation of this settlement, which has to be considered a relevant historical area today. An increasing number of transformations tend to adjust the houses to current energy performance standards, but with heavy implications on the architectural layout of building's shell, especially on the original fixtures. An accurate reassessment of the building's energy balance represents, here and elsewhere, the point of intersection between architectural restoration and technological research, highlighting the need to elaborate cross-sectional issues in order to reconcile the transformation and the conservation of the place.Universidad de Granada. Departamento de Historia del Art

Restoration modalities in 20th century architecture: confronting skyscrapers interventions

The article addresses the problems of interventions in contemporary architecture - an issue that has emerged at least twenty years ago, without reaching sufficient maturity so far. Analyzing different theoretical orientations and intervention modalities, the author identifies a diffuse tendency to re- make rather than maintaining and, as a consequence, the suppressing of built parts and of authentic materials, as well as a progressive loss of architectonic memories. In opposition to this diffuse praxis, the work realized in the Pirelli skyscraper in Milan followed a conservative approach of intervention, concretely demonstrating that the restoring of modern architecture can be faced with the tools offered by the disciplinary field of restoration - that is to say, with the utilization of theoretical, methodological and scientific rigour. For that matter, an arduous critical process is required, through which an adequate conservative approach can develop, as well as a creative opening for the project, making the preservation of the building and its transmission to the future possible, according to the restoration principles. Through her analysis, the author shows that to deny modern heritage the possibility of a conservative approach is unjustifiable and devoid of theoretical basis.O artigo trata de problemas de intervenção na arquitetura contemporânea, questão que se coloca há pelo menos vinte anos mas que ainda não atingiu maturidade suficiente. Analisando as várias orientações teóricas e as modalidades de intervenção, a autora evidencia uma tendência difusa a refazer, antes que conservar, tendo- se por conseqüência o cancelamento de partes e de materiais autênticos, e uma progressiva perda de memórias arquitetônicas. Contrapõe a essa prática difusa, a obra realizada no arranha- céu da Pirelli em Milão, em que se percorreu o caminho da intervenção conservativa e que demonstrou concretamente, na prática, que o restauro da arquitetura moderna pode ser enfrentado com os instrumentos oferecidos pelo campo disciplinar da restauração, que exige que se enfrente a questão com rigor teórico, metodológico e científico. Para tanto, é necessário um processo crítico árduo, através do qual se desenvolva uma atenção "conservativa" adequada e uma abertura criativa para o projeto - que não é a livre transformação ou inovação, mas é interna à obra - ; e que de fato possibilite a conservação da obra e sua transmissão ao futuro, como quer a restauração. Através de suas análises, a autora mostra ainda que negar a possibilidade de conservação do moderno é injustificado e sem fundamento teórico