LA RINASCENTE
04.11.23 AHAN PATIL
- L.PIGNATTI
PROF
HISTORY OF MODERN ARCH
Piazza Fiume - 1960 - Franco Albini X Franca Helg
INTRODUCTION
Client - Rinascente
Architects - Franco Albini & Franca Helg
Construction - 1958–1961
Location - Piazza Fiume, Rome, Italy
The Borletti family commissioned Albini-Helg studio to design their second Rinascente store in Rome in 1957. The two designers have experience with the Milanese culture which, at the beginning of the modern movement in Italy, had defined itself with very different characters from the Roman environment. Post-war two fronts were established: the first favored a rationalist approach, and the other, a more organic style.
The location chosen by the clients for the building was Piazzale Fiume on the corner of the Via Salaria, a space characterized by the imposing stature of the Aurelian walls and by the late nineteenth-century residential buildings, nevertheless, if not for those strong, historic brick walls, it would not be a topos with noteworthy qualities.
Historic impact - The Rinascente store defined the period of change in Rome, as the city looked into the future this building served as a functional and luxurious space more in line with the change in cities tastes. It was the embodiment of a Rome stepping into the very near future - a little less rural, more open to progress, always in harmony with itself, but keeping a fixed eye on Europe.
2
SITE PLAN - Piazza Fiume - Aurelian wall - 19th century buildings
3
STREET VIEW - Piazza Fiume - Aurelian wall - 19th century buildings
NEO - RATIONALIST MOVEMENT
A new rationalist movement in architecture started developing in the late 1960s, citing both the Enlightenment and the rationalism of the early 20th century as sources of inspiration. Like the earlier rationalists, the movement, known as the Tendenza, was centered in Italy
It emphasized the autonomy of architecture and its need to redefine it in terms of types with rules for the rational incorporating of all its aspects, in contrast to the dogmas of International Modernism and the common tendency to regard architecture solely as a commodity. Rejecting the idea that architecture stops and begins with technology, it emphasized the social and cultural significance of existing urban buildings and maintained that the vast vocabulary of historical forms was an effective tool for innovative creativity. This upset the Modern Movement’s orthodoxy, and therefore the derogatory moniker Neo-Liberty was assigned to its early expressions. Rossi’s book L’architettura della città, published in 1966, and translated into English as The Architecture of the City in 1982, explored several of the ideas that inform Neo-rationalism. In seeking to develop an understanding of the city beyond simple functionalism, Rossi revives the idea of typology, following from Quatremère de Quincy, as a method for understanding buildings, as well as the larger city. He also writes of the importance of monuments as expressions of the collective memory of the city, and the idea of place as an expression of both physical reality and history
4
La Rinascente - Facade
Casa del Fascio - Bruno Zevi - 1928
Rigour and the functionalism promoted by the Fascist regime are translated into the constructive shapes of Casa del Fascio
Potsdamerplatz, Abb-roland - George Grassi - 1993
Meant to resemble Rossi’s abstract concepts. He furthered the Neo rationalist movement through simplicity and urban areas
5
ARCHITECTS Franco Albini
Franco Albini was an Italian neo rationalist Architect and designer. He was born in 1905 near Milan where he obtained his degree in architecture and gained professional experience within the same city. He worked on modern furniture design and developed an elegant minimal aesthetic producing many successful products.
Notable works include the Albini Desk, Fiorenza armchair, and a television set for Brionvega
in the 1960’s he designed the Rinascente building in Rome with Franca Helg followed by a Milan metro line subway station with Franca and Bob Noorda.
6
Franco Albini - 1905 - 1977
Milan Metro Line 1 - 1963
la Rinascente - 1961
Fiorenza Armchair - 1952
Franca Helg
Franco Albini was an Italian Architect planner and designer. She was born in 1920 in Milan and she obtained her degree in architectural planning and industrial design, gaining professional experience in Milan and Venice.
She taught architecture in Venice and Milan and worked closely with Franco Albini from 1951 -1977
In the 1960’s she designed the Rinascente building in Rome alongside Franco Albini followed by the Piccapietra district with Albini, Olivetti store in Paris, and designing The Civic Museums of Padua.
7
Franca Helg - 1920 - 1989
Olivetti Store Paris - 1967
Piccapietra district - 1964
Piccapietra district - 1964
Building program / structure layout
Commissioned by the Borletti family who were the owners of Rinascente in 1957, their brief was similar to any department store. That is a voluminous space with overlapping floors, equal and flexible surfaces so as to blend in with one another, and uniform artificial lighting, which requires being closed off from the outside.
This translated into a volume of ten floors, three of them were underground warehouses, and seven were above-ground sales areas on intermediate floors and offices in the attic
Rinascente is a closed block on a rectangular plan, suspended over the fully glazed ground floor, with six large windows only on the front facing the square, aligned in the center to simulate an enormous single window overlooking Piazza Fiume
The architectural language lies within the relationship between the steel exoskeleton, and the shell that encloses the compact volume of the building. The structural division of the building is an architectural choice for a proportion that makes it calm and freeing. The profiles of the already beautifully designed steel beams are used as architectural frames. The heads of the secondary trusses, in view, increase the value of and provide references to the perception of dimensions with the fading away of the shadows. Reference to the 19th-century tradition of the great iron architecture of Parisian department stores and London greenhouses and exhibition halls is clearly evidenced here.
8
Ground floor plan - 4 centrally running columns - beams and exoskeleton shown
Short section showing 3 underground levels and 7 aboveground levels
9
Facade study & visual connection to site
The prefabricated facade panels slot within the steel truss and follow a variation of infill corrugation with decreasing intensity from top to bottom corresponding to the decrease of HVAC ducts, and is also an element of variation in uniformity, becoming denser along the road and more stretched out towards the square. The wheel track for maintenance and cleaning of the façade meets the precise needs of the trolley and its arm. The air-conditioning unit was one of the fundamental problems when trying to minimize floor thickness.This was solved by using two different units, one on the top floor, and the other on floor -3 (instead of one in the basement) to prevent the larger capacity ducts from cluttering the ground floor space where the needs are greater. The ducts that run along the external walls are incorporated in the pilasters decreasing in size in number from top to bottom
The material for the new building in “curtain wall” had to be prefabricated and possess a vivid grain and color, taking on a “Roman” character in being color coordinated with the Aurelian walls.
Historical nods are found in many of its elements. Such as the clear horizontal band that runs along the facade panels, an allusion to an intersection of the orders of Mannerist influence is seen, as well as a classic reference in the arrangement of the heads of the beams projecting under the horizontal duct elements
10
Facade detail section - Vents for air circulation and services
Horizontality emphasized by structure and white lines in the middle
11
Steel exoskeleton corner condition
Personal interpretation
My first impressions of the building were that it this a very private mysterious building that would be quite dull and artificial to inhabit given the lack of natural light and air. But this was earlier when I was not aware of the context of Rome, the importance of the Aurelian walls, or the need for a store to operate successfully and efficiently. The most interesting part of the entire project is the prefabricated facade panels that have the HVAC ducting incorporated in them. It reminds me of Richard Rogers projects where he pushes the mechanical systems outward to maximize interior space and ease of access for maintenance. This project is unlike no other in its approach toward modernist style, functionality, and close correlation to its surrounding. After visiting the store it is very evident how they maximize the open floor plan and the lack of windows really adds to the efficiency with which it performs within its specific needs. The horizontal bands draw in the user and add to one’s curiosity about the project while the juxtaposing protrusions created by the vents in the facade panels provide verticality to the project. The staircase is another well-done element of the building wherein it is tucked away yet inviting as it is filled with light from the 2 sides of the corner it is located in. The current state of the project still serves the same functions and doe sit rather well. Post renovation it is a more modern building and it is still a major hub for those wanting to have an extensive shopping experience and a great meeting spot.
To compare this project to any other is impossible yet the Bloomberg HQ in London by Foster + Partners comes to mind. It has a similar approach in its facade study where the functionality is prioritized for light and air to enter the building while still maintaining the exoskeleton lie qualities only to further extend to create shading devices. The project used fins to direct air into the curtain wall and the stone-clad exterior structure serves as a shading device and highlights the separation within office levels.
12
Centre Pompidou, France
13
Bloomberg HQ - Elevation showing facade performance
Bloomberg HQ - Section showing facade performance
LA RINASCENTE THANK YOU
14
Piazza Fiume - 1960 - Franco Albini X Franca Helg