Abstract
This article examines the impact of German architecture and urban planning upon the work of Marcello Piacentini (1881–1960), one of the most influential Italian architects of his time. Research contextualising his travels within his broad oeuvre of the early 1930s reveals how Piacentini took on the design strategies he observed during his stay in Germany. It also shows that Piacentini’s practices of travelling and sketching correspond to the importance he attached to the principle of site specificity in architecture. The paper helps to understand Piacentini’s efforts to modernize his architectural language in competition with the rationalist movement and reflects on different modes of travelling in the first half of the 20th century. It also sheds light upon the migration of architectural ideas in Europe during the first half of the 20th century.
Highlights
During the 20th century, countless northern Europeans with an interest in the arts travelled south to study ancient fragments or early modern palaces in Rome and Naples
In the case of public buildings, such as the post office in Brescia or the Palace of Justice in Milan, Piacentini adhered to a monumental layout, emphasized by a vertical main entrance and dominated by solid material
He appreciated horizontal lines and rounded corners, which were important characteristics of Neues Bauen, Piacentini called for vertical structures if required by representative and functional purposes (Piacentini 1931b)
Summary
This article examines the impact of German architecture and urban planning upon the work of Marcello Piacentini (1881–1960), one of the most influential Italian architects of his time Research contextualising his travels within his broad oeuvre of the early 1930s reveals how Piacentini took on the design strategies he observed during his stay in Germany. The paper helps to understand Piacentini’s efforts to modernize his architectural language in competition with the rationalist movement and reflects on different modes of travelling in the first half of the 20th century. It sheds light upon the migration of architectural ideas in Europe during the first half of the 20th century
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