A Study on Two Residential Buildings by the Italian Movement Novecento

Abstract

The research originated from the belief that some achievements of Novecento -Italian movement between the two World Wars- have been, until today, underestimated by critics. The literature, in fact, apparently misled by Novecento's neoclassical language, seems to neglect the possible modernity (namely, comparability with the research of the Modern Movement) of some of its proposals, in particular in the field of residential architecture. This study, therefore, set out to re-analyze the residential work of Novecento through two case-studies: Ca' Brutta, by Giovanni Muzio and Casa Ponti, by Gio Ponti, selected as samples according to established criteria. The investigation aimed to contribute to a better definition of the historical role of Novecento in the development of the topic. The findings of the research are also meant to stimulate broader investigations on the actual weight of the Italian movement in the mainstream of modern architecture. The analysis has shown how both buildings developed the same concepts that -at the same time or a few years later- were at the center of the interests of the Modern Movement and that, later, will revolutionize the concept of the western house. Namely, the mutual relationship between the urban and architectural scale, the functional zoning of the interiors and the rationalization and minimization of the circulation space. These features allow us to consider Ca’ Brutta and Casa Ponti substantially modern, behind their traditional appearance. Given the recognized seminality of these buildings for the following production of Novecento, the findings suggest a different and more critical role for the Italian movement in the historical development of residential design from the 19th-century to the present day.