Corviale

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Corviale , actually Nuovo Corviale , is a ten-story residential complex on the outskirts of Rome and is considered one of the longest skyscrapers in Europe .

Corviale
Corviale

Building history

The Corviale was built from 1975 to 1982 according to plans by the architect Mario Fiorentino in south-west Rome, in the XV Arvalia Portuense district on Via Portuense . The foundation stone was laid on May 12, 1975. The first apartments were awarded in October 1982. The client was the housing association ATER (Azienda Territoriale per l'Edilizia Residenziale). The residential complex - a total of 958 meters long - consists of two slightly staggered apartment blocks, each around 480 meters long, and has 21 entrances. Around 8,000 people live on its ten floors.

Construction concept

The urban development models of the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM) were decisive for its construction, aiming on the one hand to avoid narrow and poorly ventilated urban landscapes and on the other hand to prevent urban sprawl . With the combination of a larger number of residential units in a complex in the country, the alternative of a third way should be shown. Corviale stands for this settlement scheme. However, it is a very late example that came about at a time when the first facilities built according to the principles of CIAM were classified as unreasonable and already demolished (legendary, for example, the demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe district , St. Louis in 1972).

Function and use

After the foundation stone was laid, it took seven years for the apartment blocks to be completed. Only around 1980, when numerous Romans who had previously lived in the center, could no longer pay their rents, did the demand increase.

In order to develop an infrastructure, it was planned to reserve the fourth floor exclusively for shops. However, the rooms intended for this purpose remained empty until they were finally occupied by 64 families. A Franciscan convent that is active in the social hotspot also settled here. Instead of shops, two large supermarkets were built in front of the apartment blocks.

evaluation

Fiorentino's architecture is characterized by reinforced concrete bands typical of the time. Narrow recesses in the stairwell areas and, in particular, a gradation of the four or five upper floors are intended to reduce the monotony of the building, but contribute to an unwanted increase in monumentality.

Corviale received a correspondingly critical assessment after its completion. The name giant snake for the almost one kilometer long optical concrete wall was still one of the friendliest names. Most Romans simply called the complex Il serpentone (The Great Snake). However, the often rumored tradition that Fiorentino took his own life after completion should belong to the area of ​​legend.

Corviale has not found a successor in the residential architecture of the 20th century, but the complex is historically significant as the most consistent implementation of the resolutions of the CIAM from the 1950s and 60s in Europe.

A controversial debate about the building in need of renovation has been going on since 2004. Critics demand that the complex be torn down “like the Berlin Wall”. On the other hand, architecture experts emphasize the historical and architectural value of the complex. There is only agreement that the redesign must be both structural and social in nature. This is how the Roman architect and university professor Giorgio Muratore said:

“Everyone has speculated about Corviale. It has become a commonplace in journalistic and political language. In my opinion, the giant snake is not being demolished because it is a monument to Rome, but a complex design has to be made to balance a system that is a reservoir for social problems. "

Movie

literature

Web links

Commons : Corviale  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Corviale. ClausMoser.com, December 12, 2012.
  2. ↑ La street Tv che guarda a Corviale. RomaLavoro.net ( Memento of September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ): “Corviale, l'edificio alto nove piani e lungo un chilometro, oggetto di leggende tanto infondate quanto radicate. Dura a the quella del suicidio dell'architetto che ha progettato il quartiere, in one sorta di definitiva espiazione (...). ”
  3. ^ The winners of the 30th Duisburg Film Week. November 11, 2006.

Coordinates: 41 ° 51 ′ 2 "  N , 12 ° 24 ′ 42"  E