Vujicic, Lejla.

Models of historical time in the post-war architectural and urban discourse in Italy (1953--1977) / Lejla Vujicic.

[Ann Arbor, Mich.] : UMI Dissertation Services, ©2011.

viii, 166 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

This dissertation addresses the problem of historical time theorized and practiced between 1953 and 1977 in Italian architecture and urbanism. It argues that many Italian architects of the post-war period addressed history in a complex manner that went beyond the interpretations of Anglo-American historiographers who saw their discourse as historicist or monolithic. A common trait among the architects discussed in this text was an expressed desire for a renewed humanism and cultural unity in architecture, integrating architecture into its social and political context, softening the borders of modernist doctrine that tended to collapse historical trajectories. This set of issues came along with strong leftist orientation of most of the protagonists of architectural culture and the complex political situation of the post-war period.
The different modalities of historical time, which are treated as part of the problem and solution for reexamining modernity in architecture and its results presented themselves in several temporal structures. To make its case the study interprets the work of five Italian architects interpreted as four episodes: (1) Ernesto Rogers: sensing history and recognizing pre-existing environments, (2) Giuseppe Samonà and the possibility of historicizing the urban fabric as a system, (3) Vittorio Gregotti's topographical reading of the time-space relationship and (4) Aldo Rossi and Carlo Aymonino on the relationship between typology and morphology--the return to the city of artifacts. Each chapter follows the particular architect's thinking presented in his writings or built and unbuilt projects. The significance of the four episodes is judged by the influence of each practical and theoretical paradigm on the built environment, as well as the dissemination of this thought in academic circles and academic curricula of the time. Certain interpretations are based on extensive archival research, such as in case of Samonà, while other chapters are mostly interpretations of authors' published writings and projects.

Rogers, Ernesto N.
Samonà, Giuseppe.
Gregotti, Vittorio.
Rossi, Aldo, 1931-1997.
Aymonino, Carlo.
Architecture Italy History 20th century.
Architecture and history Italy.
Architecture Italie Histoire 20e siècle.
Architecture et histoire Italie.
Architecture.
Architecture and history.
Italy.

Theses.
History.

Location: Library main 278593
Call No.: BIB 214178
Status: Available