REPRESENTATION AND SYMBOLISM
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▲ 9.20 Church of the Autostrada, Florence, Italy, Giovanni Michelucci, 1968. The church as seen from the motorway.
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9.19 Wohlen High School library roof, Switzerland, Santiago Calatrava, 1988. A central column supports the roof shell which ‘shelters’ the mezzanine galleries to the rear.
9.21 Dramatic interior structure with the main altar to the left facing the rows of seats. (Courtesy F. Amadei.)
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Details of the concrete structure.
a reading derived from the natural world – that of the wings of a bird sheltering her offspring. The Church of the Autostrada, Florence, contains the final example of structure representing an object from the human world. Situated on the outskirts of Florence adjacent to the motorway, the church commemorates those workers who lost their lives building Italy’s modern motorway system. Both architect and reviewers agree that the church’s tent-like form simultaneously acknowledges the nomadic life of the ancient Israelites and the travelling public driving past the church (Fig. 9.20). However, opinions pertaining to the interpretation of its dramatic interior structure remain divided.