GEORGE NELSON FELLOWSHIP
From Sicily to Lombardy (Summer 2008)
"Reconceiving INA-Casa"
In 1949, the Italian government drafted the Fanfani Plan, which aimed to stimulate the postwar economy and develop much needed infrastructure by creating new housing for workers. Hence, it created the Istituto Nazionale delle Assicurazioni, from which came the acronym INA-Casa. The program continued until 1963 and played a major role in the development of Italian architecture after WWII. In particular, many of the projects produced for INA-Casa came to represent what critics termed the Italian retreat – in essence, the abandonment of modern architecture. Indeed, the central figures involved with the INA-Casa program – Ludovico Quaroni, Mario Ridolfi, and Carlo Aymonino – were certainly troubled by the legacy of rationalism. In spite of the clear inspiration derived from G. Pagano's Architettura Rurale of 1936, however, there is something more complex at play, some attempt to script fragmentation and intricacy. Furthermore, it seems that these projects are not intended as backward-looking reclamations of the past (as many have claimed); rather, they draw from two of the most quintessentially modern movements – i.e., German Expressionism and Italian Futurism – in an attempt to create distinctive neighborhoods outside the historic city center. The proposal attempts to reevaluate the aforementioned projects.
JUNE 14 – JULY 08 2008: PART I
(Lazio, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, and Sicilia)
Roma, Italy:
- Quartiere Tiburtino [1949-54] Ludovico Quaroni, Mario Ridolfi, et. al.;
- Quartiere Tuscolano III [1949-52] Adalberto Libera;
- Quartiere Viale Etiope [1951-54] Mario Ridolfi
Foggia, Italy:
- Tratturo dei Preti housing [1957-59] Carlo Aymonino;
- INA-Casa a Cerignola [1955] Mario Ridolfi
Matera, Italy:
- Borgo “La Martella” [1951-54] Ludovico Quaroni;
- Spine Bianche [1954-57] Carlo Aymonino
Siracusa, Italy:
- Teatro [550 BC]; Duomo [480 BC];
Agrigento, Italy:
- Temple of Hercules [500 BC]; Temple of Concord [450 BC];
- Temple of Hera [470 BCE]
Palermo, Italy
AUG 05 – AUG 26 2008: PART II
(Lazio, Umbria, Lombardia, and Liguria)
Terni, Italy:
- Scuola Media [1953-60] Mario Ridolfi;
- Casa Franconi [1965] Mario Ridolfi
Bologna, Italy
Milano, Italy:
- INA-Casa Q. in via Dessie [1951-55] Pietro Bottoni, Luigi Figini, et. al.;
- Quartiere Gallaratese [1967-74] Carlo Aymonino, Aldo Rossi;
- Corso Italia [1951-56] Luigi Moretti; QT8 [1948] Peitro Bottoni
Genova, Italy:
- Quartiere INA-Casa [1956] L. Danieri, E. Fuselli
