Archinect - News

Venice begins glass replacement of Calatrava's slippery Constitution Bridge

2024-12-18T17:19:00-05:00

Santiago Calatrava’s marvelous yet befuddling pedestrian bridge at the Ponte della Costituzione in Venice is now in the process of reconstruction in the wake of the city government issuing fines in response to slip and fall injuries that followed its opening in September 2008. All 284 glass steps are to be replaced with safer stone upgrades, according to The Times’s reporting. The repairs, which were finally agreed to by officials in 2022, will cost approximately €500,000 ($518,000 USD). That's enough for almost 13 of his new Gübelin watches!

OMA completes redesign of Museo Egizio's historic Gallery of the Kings

2024-11-22T14:36:00-05:00

This year, to mark the 200th anniversary of the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, OMA has collaborated with the local architect Andrea Tabocchini for a reset of its historic Gallery of the Kings.

Partner David Gianotten and Project Architect Andreas Karavanas were responsible for leading the design, which remodeled the existing space to better display Egyptian statuary pieces as they were originally presented in the context of Karnak—an ancient temple complex that served as an architectural showcase to which Pharaohs added their various creations.

Image: © Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of OMA and Andrea Tabocchini Architecture

The emerging Tabocchini, who was recently named a 40under40 European Design award winner, says of the design: "From the outset, we all saw this project as an opportunity to redesign a unique exhibition space. Culture must honor the past while remaining alive, evolving, being relevant in the present and inspiring the future."

Image: © Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of...

Airbnb lets you inside the Colosseum for a special gladiator theme experience

2024-11-13T18:01:00-05:00

Airbnb has announced a new partnership with Paramount Pictures for a unique experience as part of the promotional campaign for Ridley Scott’s new Gladiator II sequel. Its setting is the famed Colosseum in Rome. Lucky guests will be guided via concierge into the structure’s hypogeum for a special one-night-only tour before selecting battle armor and readying for combat in the moonlit arena. Fans of the ancient tradition shouldn't miss the opportunity to register here by December 9. Please note: this is not an overnight stay. Ancient Roman posca sports drinks are also not included.

Image: Christopher Anderson/Airbnb

Image: Daniele Castellaro/Airbnb

Good bus terminal design improves public transit participation, new study finds

2024-08-11T08:00:00-04:00

New research from the Italian University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli into the “hedonic quality” of bus terminals and their effects on users’ consumer behavior has shown an offsetting cost-benefit that correlates to better ridership where there is a higher quality of architectural design.

Satisfied by the aesthetics of virtual shelters or terminals, the paper found “the Italian tourist is willing to spend up to €4.35/trip more for a high-quality bus waiting space or travel up to 28.2 min/trip more, instead of using a traditional bus terminal for the same trip.” These findings add to a body of existing scholarship on urban psychology and behavioral economics. The authors noted the corresponding benefit of reducing emissions from motor vehicles, especially in the center of major population areas.

“In my opinion this is a disruptive result for transport operators and planners,” the paper's coauthor, Armando Cartenì from the university's Department of Architecture and Industrial Desig...

Populous to design AS Roma's new stadium for 2027

2024-08-05T12:16:00-04:00

The next big draw soccer venue from Populous has been announced for the AS Roma franchise. The design that replaces the 71-year-old Stadio Olimpico will include an upgraded Curva Sud (or curved ultra fan seating area) element considered to be the largest in any professional European football facility among its 60,000 seats and be completed in time for the club’s 100th anniversary in 2027. Plans are for the stadium to take up an elevated site in the northeastern Pietralata neighborhood.

Populous Vice President Ryan Friedkin joined the city's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, in sharing his excitement for the project, saying it would "also be a landmark for all the citizens of Rome."

Image courtesy Populous

Also in Serie A, the firm is designing the new home for Inter Milan ahead of its move from San Siro Stadium to Rozzano. Populous entered the top 10 grossing firms globally last year to lead the industry's embrace of the sports facilities market with some $390.4 million in reported revenue...

BIG creates mirrored installation for Audi at Milan Design Week

2024-04-25T11:46:00-04:00

Bjarke Ingels Group has designed an installation for the car brand Audi, installed at Milan Design Week. Titled ‘Reflaction,’ a play on the words “reflection” and “action,” the installation seeks to convey how “our actions in the world reflect the very essence of our existence,” according to Audi.

Image credit: Audi House of Progress

The installation is configured as a ‘plus’ symbol when viewed from above, dividing the site into four spaces constructed from a minimal selection of materials. The walls of the installation are formed of 33 x 28-foot mirrors, which, according to Audi, “creates an immersive spatial illusion, highlighting the brand's continuous effort to overcome the limits of innovation.”

Image credit: Audi House of Progress

Each space is grounded in a particular theme, namely Community, Knowledge, Performance, and Digital. The Community section features a ‘circular forest’ of Japanese maples to provid...

MAD Architects creates Milan Design Week pavilion inspired by mountains

2024-04-18T12:17:00-04:00

MAD Architects has completed its latest installation for Milan Design Week. Titled ‘Amazing Walk.’ the project marks the seventh time MAD has participated in the event.

Image credit: Moreno Maggi

Set within the Cortile della Farmacia courtyard at the University of Milan, the ‘Amazing Walk’ seeks to “blur the boundary between built and natural environments in a surreal way.” Standing 24.6 feet tall, the internal column-free piece is formed of hundreds of triangular elements configured to reflect “the shape of mountains.”

Image credit: Moreno Maggi

The installation is constructed from an aluminum alloy covered in a semi-permeable composite membrane. The resulting finish offers varying visuals under different lighting conditions while, during the night, lights and mist blur the edges of the materials to give the illusion that the pavilion is floating.

Image credit: Moreno Maggi

“This open design invites explorat...

JR debuts latest Italian commission 'La Nascita' for Milan Design Week

2024-04-11T13:03:00-04:00

French street art pioneer JR has debuted his latest piece, a massive illusory trompe l’oeil piece animating the facade of Milan’s Stazione Centrale railway station, in advance of the start of Milan Design Week in the Italian cultural nexus.

His latest commission is titled La Nascita (Italian for “the birth”) and will run until May 1st, following two previous Italian projects at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence and Palazzo Farnese in Rome that were completed in 2021.

“In spaces that have social issues, my work is about bringing people together. In a place like this, a huge range of people come to catch the train. When they find themselves in front of an exhibition, they will suddenly have a different kind of interaction,” he told The Art Newspaper at its unveiling.

More of our coverage of Milan Design Week can be found here.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by JR (@jr)

Celebrated Italian design and automotive magnate Paolo Pininfarina passes away aged 65

2024-04-09T19:07:00-04:00

Paolo Pininfarina, the Italian business leader credited with expanding his family’s automotive enterprise into architecture and other areas of the design field, has died in Turin at the age of 65. The Pininfarina Chairman was known as a visionary who designed more than 600 cars after completing his engineering studies at the Polytechnic University in his home city.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Board of Statutory Auditors, and all Pininfarina employees, I express deep sorrow and condolences for the loss of our dear Chairman," Pininfarina's CEO, Silvio Angori, said in a press release.

Light Towers by Pininfarina in Mérida, Mexico. Image courtesy Pininfarina

"We are all extremely grateful to Eng. Pininfarina for his extraordinary contribution to the company and for always passionately advocating for our history and corporate identity both in terms of style and ethical and behavioral choices," his statement continued. "I am personally grateful to him for confirming me in th...

Beloved Italian designer and architect Gaetano Pesce passes away at 84

2024-04-04T18:05:00-04:00

Gaetano Pesce, the critically acclaimed Italian architect and designer of thought-provoking furniture, has passed away in New York City at the age of 84. He will be remembered for a groundbreaking career that spanned six decades and saw his many designs scattered across four continents and collected by major worldwide institutions, including MoMA, Vitra Design Museum, and Centre Pompidou.

After beginning his career as an industrial designer in Italy in the 1960s, the 2023 Andrée Putman Lifetime Achievement Award winner turned into one of the leading figures behind the Radical Design movement. His contributions included the Up5 chair he made for B&B Italia, the Moloch floor lamp, and other artistic pieces that commented on politics and society through its heyday until the end of the 1970s.

Up Chair series by Gaetano Pesce, 1969. Photo courtesy Créateurs Design Awards

He would later move to New York to teach at Pratt Institute in 1980, a position he held in addition to running a simul...

World's longest suspension bridge is moving forward in Italy after decades of pushback and delays

2024-02-25T08:00:00-05:00

Construction of what would be the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting Sicily and mainland Italy over the Strait of Messina, could begin this year after the final design recently gained approval. The long-delayed project would stretch more than 10,800 feet if completed.

The controversial bridge is estimated to cost approximately $5 billion and take around seven years to build. It will feature three vehicle lanes and a central lane for rail. The structure is also designed to withstand 180-mile-per-hour winds and up to 7.1-magnitude earthquakes.

The concept has been in the works since the 1960s, and it wasn’t until 2003 that a preliminary design for it was approved. Since then, the project has experienced a cycle of being shelved and revived by various Italian governments in power. Critics of the endeavor have asserted that the bridge has been nothing more than a tool to win votes that would waste billions of dollars.

State-owned sponsor Stretto di Messina SpA (SdM) has long...

Zaha Hadid Architects designs world's first green hydrogen refueling network for recreational boating

2024-02-10T08:00:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has designed the world’s first green hydrogen refueling infrastructure for the recreational boating industry. Refueling stations will be installed at 25 Italian marinas.

The project is being spurred by an approximately $108 million investment led by NatPower H, a global developer of technologies for the production, storage, and distribution of green hydrogen. The refueling network will begin installation in the summer of 2024, with a target to grow to 100 stations throughout the Mediterranean over the next six years. There are further ambitions to expand to the world’s most popular regions for recreational boating.

According to the firm, the eventual 100 refueling stations will be operational by 2030 and will deliver up to 3,650 tons of green hydrogen annually. This will erase approximately 45,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the Mediterranean’s recreational boats every year.

Rendering: Tecma Solutions / Zaha Hadid Architects

This project addresses the ...

Rafael Viñoly Architects designs vineyard atop an airport terminal in Italy

2024-01-25T11:47:00-05:00

Rafael Viñoly Architects has designed a new international terminal for the Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci in Florence, Italy. When completed, the 538,000-square-foot terminal is expected to handle 5.9 million annual international passengers.

Image credit: Rafael Viñoly Architects

The airport’s most unique feature is a 19-acre vineyard gently sloping upwards atop the building, covering the terminal below. The landscape will see 38 rows of vineyards to both contribute to the airport’s LEED Platinum rating and symbolize “Italy’s rich traditions and innovative spirit.” Wine produced from the vineyard will be crafted and aged in specialized cellars beneath the terminal’s roof.

Image credit: Rafael Viñoly Architects

Inside, the airport will see an arrivals and departures area facing each other across a large public space, dubbed the ‘Piazza.’ at the center of the terminal. Circulation within the airport will also be reorganized to link to transport options such as a new light rail system, whil...

Inter Milan unveils San Siro stadium replacement proposal from Populous

2023-12-22T11:41:00-05:00

Inter Milan’s plans for its first new home away from San Siro are getting a little bit clearer after the Serie A club released a few preliminary renderings for a Populous-designed stadium in Rozzano.

The announcement was made this week and follows the city’s decision not to grant approvals to a 2021 proposal from the firm called "The Cathedral" that would have been built as a shared facility with AC Milan and surrounded by a new entertainment district at the site of the nearly 100-year-old stadium.

In the aftermath, both clubs are now pursuing separate venues. The new Inter stadium will have capacity for 70,000 fans with a year-round ‘sports town’ fan area situated outside among the landscaped open park spaces of the site, which offers an easy connection to the city center. A fan survey has now been introduced as the club and Populous continue along the design process. No official construction timelines have been proposed yet.

Rendering courtesy Inter Milan

Speaking on Instagram, the...

Bologna unveils plan to reinforce 12th-century leaning tower

2023-12-08T18:30:00-05:00

Work to prevent the collapse of a leaning medieval tower in the heart of the northern Italian city of Bologna will cost €20m ($21.5m) and take 10 years at least, its mayor has said. Last weekend, the city unveiled a €4.3m (£3.7m) project to shore up the Garisenda tower – one of the city’s two towers that look out over central Bologna, providing inspiration over the centuries to painters and poets and a lookout spot during conflicts.

The Garisenda Tower, like the Tower of Pisa, has leaned for centuries as the ground on which it was built gave way soon after its construction. It slants at four degrees compared to 3.9 degrees the Tower of Pisa leans at. Last month, the area around the Garisenda Tower was cordoned off due to increasing concerns about its potential to collapse. Bologna’s mayor, Matteo Lepore, claims that the time to restore the structure will match the 10 years it took to reinforce the Tower of Pisa.

Built in the 12th century, the Garisenda Tower, which stands at approximately 157 feet, sits alongside the taller, and also leaning, Asinelli Tower. As reported by The Guardian, Italy’s civil protection agency has issued a “yellow” alert for the area around the two towers indicating the space is under watch. However, they aren’t believed to pose any immediate risks to people’s safety. The mayor has also urged the government to work to make the towers UNESCO World Heritage sites. Work to reinforce the to...

Architect Stefano Boeri faces bid-rigging allegations in Milan’s BEIC design competition

2023-10-12T19:53:00-04:00

Architect Stefano Boeri has responded to charges of alleged bid-rigging in relation to his role as the jury chair for a 2022 competition to design the new European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC) in Milan.

The 66-year-old Boeri told the Italian news agency ANSA this week, “I am calm and confirm my complete willingness to cooperate with the competent authorities to provide all the information in my possession in order to clarify a situation that I find unbelievable,” before saying he would not provide any further comments at this time.

The allegations were made public as news of an investigation on the part of local tax police broke earlier in the week. Boeri’s role in the investigation remains unclear, however, the “conflict of interest” at the center of the case reportedly includes “false declarations regarding the identity or personal qualities of oneself or others.” The connection architects Angelo Raffaele Lunati and Giancarlo Floridi, whose firm Onsitestudio was awar...

BIG unveils a new sofa piece designed for Natuzzi Italia

2023-10-04T12:45:00-04:00

Furniture brand Natuzzi Italia has unveiled a sofa designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The Colle Sofa, available online, draws inspiration from Natuzzi Italia’s early iconic designs, “known for their inviting, hospitable style that captures the essence of Mediterranean living,” as the company describes it.

Image credit: Natuzzi Italia

The piece is part of the wider Natuzzi Italia project titled ‘The Circle of Harmony,’ which has included a collaboration with dozens of renowned architects, artists, and designers over the past four years. Described by the company as “a physical and mental place that welcomes the most intimate and social moments by hosting quality time with ourselves and others,” the Colle Sofa features a wide selection of fabric and leather coverings.

Image credit: Natuzzi Italia

“Rooted in Natuzzi Italia's core values — Mediterranean flair, design, harmony, Italian character, innovation, comfort, and sustainability — the 2023 iteration of this philosophy, featuring the Co...

Venice to begin seeking €5 daily admission fees from tourists

2023-09-07T12:02:00-04:00

The ability for Venice to charge a nominal €5 ($5.35 USD) daily entrance fee to tourists has been granted to the city, giving officials the final go-ahead for a response they say is ultimately necessary to preserve its architectural heritage from the threats of climate change and overcrowding.

The city council’s decision comes after a protracted debate over its implementation since the idea was first introduced in 2019. CNN has reported the experiment will start first with a 30-day trial period before being formally adopted early next year, limited to only the “peak days” of the busy tourist season. The likely result is for the quality of life of residents to be improved, proponents say while encouraging other popular international destinations to potentially follow suit.

“The message we want to put across is that Venice is open, but visitors must understand that we need proper planning to manage the balance between residence and tourism,” Councilor Michele Zuin said in a statement....

Construction underway on Snøhetta and Park Associati’s 1960s office renovation in Milan

2023-08-29T11:50:00-04:00

Snøhetta and Park Associati have published photographs showing progress on the refurbishment of the 1960s Pirelli 35 office block in Milan. When completed in 2024, the project seeks to “create a generous and publicly accessible building with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.”

Image credit: Tommaso Maserati courtesy of Snøhetta

Building on the existing scale and lines of the neighboring buildings, the Pirelli 35 refurbishment will see works to the existing structure complimented by a rooftop addition and a six-story extension. The rooftop volume will create a new penthouse office floor while the extension “intimately addresses the smaller scale of the surrounding residential buildings while also providing chromatic contrast to the sober and elegant re-cladded facade of the existing building.”

Image credit: Tommaso Maserati courtesy of Snøhetta

The new scheme has been organized in three horizontal “layers.” The ground and 9th floor emphasize transparency to provide a high degree...

UNESCO experts recommend adding Venice to heritage danger list

2023-08-01T11:15:00-04:00

[Update, September 14th, 2023: Despite this recommendation, UNESCO ultimately voted not to place Venice on its World Heritage in Danger list]

Experts from UNESCO, the cultural agency of the United Nations, have recommended adding Venice to its World Heritage in Danger list. As reported by Reuters, officials from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre made the recommendation with a view that Italy was not doing enough to protect the city from the impacts of climate change and mass tourism.

Both the city and its lagoon would be added to the list under the recommendation. Other sites recommended for the list are the historic centers of Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa in Ukraine, the town of Timbuktu in Mali, and several sites across Syria, Iraq, and Libya. The final decision will be made at a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Riyadh in September.

"Resolution of long-standing but urgent issues is hindered by a lack of overall joint strategic vision for the long-term preservation of the prop...

Carlo Ratti Associati blends old and new with the theories of Piranesi for its latest Italian design

2023-07-19T18:57:00-04:00

Carlo Ratti Associati has unveiled design details for its latest hospitality sector collaboration with Italo Rota located at the Monferrato UNESCO World Heritage site in Italy.

The studio’s new Roccia project reimagines a hilltop former monastery site in Piedmont into a new residential complex. The project relies on LIDAR scans to enable a new digitally-fabricated timber skin to be inserted amongst the 400-year-old brick ruins. CRA says this element of their design strategy “suggests a new approach for renovating historical buildings" while resolving a “harmony” between the natural and artificial.

Image render courtesy Carlo Ratti Associati

The team describes: "Roccia – the Italian word for “rock” – is a hilltop monastery-turned-farmhouse in the heart of the Piedmontese countryside. The site has been in decay since a fire broke out in the early 20th century. Decades of neglect have further deteriorated the bricks and invited moss, ivy and saplings to set in. Its current conditions ev...

Influential Italian postmodernist architect Paolo Portoghesi passes away aged 91

2023-05-31T15:04:00-04:00

An important driver of postmodernism in Italy has been lost following the death of Italian architect, theorist, and historian Paolo Portoghesi in his native country this week at the age of 91.

The author of the 2000 title Nature and Architecture enjoyed a long and influential academic career in Italy while simultaneously working to complete several important religious and cultural commissions such as the Mosque of Rome, Strasbourg Mosque, Casa Baldi, and Theatre of Cagliari as an architect following his graduation from the Sapienza University of Rome in 1957.

Portoghesi also served as President of the Venice Biennale from 1979 to1992 and was a notable participant in the Documenta 5 exhibition and other key artistic exhibitions across Europe during the same time period. His teaching career began the previous decade at his alma mater, where his renowned expertise in Baroque architecture was further enabled via a collaborative relationship with his friend and mentor, Bruno Zevi.

The C...

Details emerge regarding the Italian government denying visas for three Ghanaian curators at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale

2023-05-22T15:47:00-04:00

Controversy stirred at the Venice Architecture Biennale after Italian government officials refused visas to three key Ghanaian curators who had planned on entering the country to attend the exhibition ahead of its opening on Saturday, May 20.

On May 19, The Art Newspaper's Tom Seymour reported on the latest details on the story first mentioned by Guardian critic Oliver Wainwright via Twitter on May 10th.

Sickening to hear this from the curator of this year's Venice Biennale, Lesley Lokko – large numbers of participants from Africa have been denied visas to attend: pic.twitter.com/Pn5ASUgev9
— Olly Wainwright (@ollywainwright) May 10, 2023

The drama began after the Italian ambassador to Ghana denied entry permissions to the traveling contingent, reportedly accusing curator Lesley Lokko of trying to bring three “non-essential” workers into the EU’s Schengen economic zone.

Lokko, who is herself of Ghanaian descent, responded to decry the actions as the motivations of a right-wing caree...

NEOM goes to Venice to promote its 'zero gravity urbanism' concept

2023-05-17T12:11:00-04:00

A new exhibition titled Zero Gravity Urbanism—Principles for a New Livability will explore the conceptual underpinnings behind Saudi Arabia’s contentious NEOM megadevelopment parallel with the start of the 2023 Venice Biennale on May 20th.

Featuring contributions from Morphosis, Peter Cook, UNStudio, Studio Fuksas, Oyler Wu, and Adjaye Associates, the exhibition presents what organizers say are the $500 billion endeavor’s "seven key principles [...] defined and brought to life through the proposals of architects and urban thinkers, who are envisioning the foundations of a new livability in NEOM."

Other than the plan’s 110-mile main THE LINE segment, details on NEOM’s Oxagon, Trojena, and Sindalah regional developments will also be presented.

Previously on Archinect: OMA, Peter Cook, Morphosis, Adjaye Associates among firms showcasing design proposals in NEOM's recent The Line Experience exhibition

A series of lectures and public presentations will supplement the exhibition. Peter Coo...

Mario Botta details La Scala makeover for the NYT

2023-05-02T19:33:00-04:00

The work has been about creating a dialogue between the 18th century and modernity. This theater was born as a space to create dreams, illusions, adventures. It’s still a place of collective imagination. But to effectively make it work today, it needed to be much more flexible and capable than what existed in the 1700s. It had run out of space to perform effectively. We’ve created a series of elements designed to make the theater function for the 2000s.

The Swiss architect began his two-phase restoration in January 2002. It has been the subject of controversy since that time, owing to its scale and derivation from the city council tender approvals process. The project highlights the delicate line between preservation and the ambits of a figure such as Botta, whose deference to the past has always been expressed in materials such as terra cotta and Botticino marble.

To that score, Botta says his approach to design has evolved to be a sort of commentary on the "confrontation between times [...] A collage of different language," adding we’ve "lost the capacity to express the true value of architecture."

"I find that architecture is always a sacred act, because it transforms nature and it represents our entire world," he states at the end of the NYT interview. "The architecture of sacred spaces is very close to the architecture of theaters or museums. You’re trying to create a type of value and strength. You’re attempting to embody a ...

Carlo Ratti Associati team creates ‘world’s largest board game’ at Milan Design Week

2023-04-27T10:55:00-04:00

A team comprising Carlo Ratti Associati, Italo Rota, Eni, and Blob Factory Gaming have presented an installation at Milan Design Week which transformed Milan’s Botanical Garden into a 37,000-square-foot interactive game. Titled ‘Walk the Talk,’ the board game saw over 400 energy-harvesting luminescent tiles form multiple pathways and crossroads across the landscape, engaging players in what the team calls “a discourse underlying the future of mobility.”

Image credit: Marco Beck Peccoz

The installation has been structured as a “metaphorical stroll around Milan” featuring the city’s major landmarks. Each of the 400 wooden tiles and 32 types of icons represents either an obstacle or a solution to the game’s theme of urban mobility, from traffic to public transportation and electric car sharing. Working either alone or in groups, players navigate throughout the ‘city’ by finding solutions to challenges such as overcrowded neighborhoods or a lack of pedestrian areas.

Image credit: Marco B...

MAD details new MOMENTUM installation for Milan Design Week 2023

2023-04-17T14:02:00-04:00

The lead-up to this year's Milan Design Week festival will include a new installation from Ma Yansong and Andrea D’Antrassi of MAD Architects as part of the INTERNI Design Re-Evolution exhibition held at the University of Milan.

Titled MOMENTUM, the 8-by-12.5-meter iron cube structure is tilted 45 degrees from its base and is being commissioned by AXA IM Alts for the duration of the fair. During the day, its ETFE polymer surface will reflect its surroundings while at night, the installation becomes more transparent as it yields to the artificial light source before becoming “the moment, a dialogue between thought and evolution that’s both pure and disarming.”

MAD says its presence “represents the moment when a new awareness is born, when the creative process begins.”

Image courtesy MAD Architects

“At a time when everything is immediate, and everything can be replicated digitally, MOMENTUM is, on the one hand, the spark, the original idea; on the other, it is the study, complexity an...

What to do about Italy’s fascist monuments? Contextualize them.

2023-02-27T18:01:00-05:00

After World War II, prompted by the Allies, Germany underwent an intense de-Nazification program. Not so Italy — there was no equivalent de-fascistization. The country is still filled with buildings and street names that evoke its 20-year dictatorship. By not challenging the history of these monuments, the memory of fascism has been smoothly integrated into the Italian present.

There are at least 1,400 monuments to the Fascist Mussolini regime spread throughout the country. The era's architectural legacy will, in lieu of full-blown removal, be placed in context according to the hopes of local historians and preservationists who say they want to fight back against the notion that fascism also ushered modern architecture into Italy.

This comes at a time when far-right politics are on the rise nationally. Many see parallels to the struggle of U.S. activists to remove Confederate Civil War monuments, which, unlike in Italy, were mostly the product of a bitter 30-year memory war between North and South.

Previously on Archinect: This small Italian town could be the answer to the debate surrounding monuments removal

A 2017 New Yorker essay from historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat outlined the contemporary causes succinctly:

“[W]hen Berlusconi brought the right-wing Italian Social Movement Party to power, his rehabilitation of Fascism was aided by an existing network of pilgr...

'Putin's Palace' architect won't return to Italy to face trial for variety of financial crimes

2023-01-13T12:10:00-05:00

Lanfranco Cirillo, an Italian art collector who designed a mysterious 18,000 sq. m Black Sea mansion supposedly built for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be tried in absentia by an Italian court on financial charges next month. In an interview published by the ANSA news agency on Friday, the architect said that he currently resides in Moscow and claimed that an Interpol Red Notice effectively prevents him from returning to Italy to defend his name.

As reported by The Art Newspaper, Cirillo is being investigated for an array of crimes, including fraudulent tax returns, money laundering, the illegal transfer of funds, and for violating the code of protection of cultural heritage.

Last year, Italian officials raided Cirillo’s villa near Brescia for failing to pay a €50m tax bill, which resulted in the seizure of assets worth $144 million, including jewels, cash, and approximately 150 artworks by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, and Wassily Kandinsky.

Cirillo claims that he was advised not to travel to Italy because of an Interpol Red Notice request that calls for his arrest pending extradition. His trial is set to open on February 23rd.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is still straightening things out (a bit)

2023-01-05T12:16:00-05:00

Results from the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s annual checkup are in, as of November 30. After a stabilization project, begun in 1990, reduced the quirky monument’s dangerous lean by a full 15 inches, the tower has straightened itself out by an additional 1.6 inches since 2001. Some Italian officials are taking that optimism further, claiming the Tower could stand all the way straight on its own some day.

This is the second update to the engineering project since 2018. The tower is expected to last at least another 300 years. In a statement to the press, the Italian heritage group Opera Primaziale Pisana said the nearly 850-year-old monument's overall health was "excellent."

Repeated attempts of tourists to correct the lean themselves still appear not to be having any effects.

Archinect - News

Venice begins glass replacement of Calatrava's slippery Constitution Bridge

OMA completes redesign of Museo Egizio's historic Gallery of the Kings

Airbnb lets you inside the Colosseum for a special gladiator theme experience

Good bus terminal design improves public transit participation, new study finds

Populous to design AS Roma's new stadium for 2027

BIG creates mirrored installation for Audi at Milan Design Week

MAD Architects creates Milan Design Week pavilion inspired by mountains

JR debuts latest Italian commission 'La Nascita' for Milan Design Week

Celebrated Italian design and automotive magnate Paolo Pininfarina passes away aged 65

​​Beloved Italian designer and architect Gaetano Pesce passes away at 84

World's longest suspension bridge is moving forward in Italy after decades of pushback and delays

Zaha Hadid Architects designs world's first green hydrogen refueling network for recreational boating

Rafael Viñoly Architects designs vineyard atop an airport terminal in Italy

Inter Milan unveils San Siro stadium replacement proposal from Populous

Bologna unveils plan to reinforce 12th-century leaning tower

Architect Stefano Boeri faces bid-rigging allegations in Milan’s BEIC design competition

BIG unveils a new sofa piece designed for Natuzzi Italia

Venice to begin seeking €5 daily admission fees from tourists

Construction underway on Snøhetta and Park Associati’s 1960s office renovation in Milan

UNESCO experts recommend adding Venice to heritage danger list

Carlo Ratti Associati blends old and new with the theories of Piranesi for its latest Italian design

Influential Italian postmodernist architect Paolo Portoghesi passes away aged 91

Details emerge regarding the Italian government denying visas for three Ghanaian curators at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale

NEOM goes to Venice to promote its 'zero gravity urbanism' concept

Mario Botta details La Scala makeover for the NYT

Carlo Ratti Associati team creates ‘world’s largest board game’ at Milan Design Week

MAD details new MOMENTUM installation for Milan Design Week 2023

What to do about Italy’s fascist monuments? Contextualize them.

'Putin's Palace' architect won't return to Italy to face trial for variety of financial crimes

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is still straightening things out (a bit)

Beloved Italian designer and architect Gaetano Pesce passes away at 84