Modern Materials: A Legacy from Twentieth-Century Italy

The use of modern autarchic construction materials in twentieth-century Italy resulted from the country’s experiments and studies during the autarky period. This chapter of its history defined the Italian modern movement, due to the political, economic, and social conditions that characterised Italy in the first half of the last century, together with the pursued modern movement objectives. The research studies, how as a consequence of new construction norms, architectural strategies, and the country’s economic policies imposed during the regime in the 30s and 40s of the last century, the use of construction materials was influenced. Leading to a specific identity and legacy of the Italian modern architecture. By clarifying the impact produced on architecture because of these conditions, the relationship between traditional Italian construction methods and the new materials of the early Twentieth Century can be understood. Therefore, the research points out the need for a systematic methodology to set up a library of information on modern materials, that highlights Italy’s twentieth-century technological advancements and construction materials, as a means to contribute to the preservation, conservation and safeguarding of modern heritage, through the documentation of the information regarding its construction materials. Through the analysis of two case studies, the "Asilo Nido Olivetti" in Ivrea and the "Nido Aziendale F.R.I.G.T." in Turin, the research highlights the connections between architectural aims and material implementation during the first half of the twentieth century. These two cases display the design decisions taken by architects, according to the modern movement influences, through architectural strategies fulfilled with the use of materials as bricks, ceramics, and stones, which emphasised educational and pedagogical aspects of school construction, aimed at, during the modern period, as well as being used due to the country’s policies. To conclude, the research aims to explain the motivations behind twentieth-century Italy’s characteristics of modern construction materials, to highlight their value and to promote a systematic methodology of documentation that supports the preservation of modern architectural heritage.