Modern Architecture and Its Construction Techniques in Sardinia, Italy. The case of the Arborea’s Church (OR)

Abstract

Founded in 1928 as Villaggio Mussolini, thanks to a substantial work of reclamation, Arborea (OR) is a key asset for the knowledge of construction techniques of the Modern period: built in a few years, it’s a snapshot of technological progress in Sardinia during the 1920s and 1930s. Here we can find different architectural languages and construction techniques, ranging from masonry construction system to reinforced concrete frame.

The paper’s focused on buildings constructed until 1932; among them, we can identify two categories: buildings related to the production activities of the farm settled in the reclaimed territory, and the civil ones. For the first, according to requirements, it was preferred a reinforced-concrete construction system; instead, contemporary civil buildings (Eng. Avanzini) united by an eclectic language, were generally characterized by masonry, but we can also find floors made up of reinforced concrete and hollow blocks. An exception to this rule can be found in the church (Arch. Bianchi): here, unexpectedly, it’s used a particular reinforced-concrete frame.