Modern Italian Architecture

Early 21st century middle-class homes in Italy have a simple architectural style.

The difficulty in evaluating modern Italian architecture is that there is so little of it. It is a truism that the work of architects of the past can only be preserved by placing restrictions on the work of architects of the present. In 2010, a few examples of the style, employing a range from curved surfaces to bold, clean lines, have succeeded, despite the restrictions.

Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso

Designed by Richard Meier and completed in 2003, this contemporary Roman Catholic church is located in a residential neighborhood near Tor Tre Teste, on the outskirts of central Rome. The three concentric semi-circular exterior walls, bowed like great sails, evoke both the traditional metaphor of the Church as a boat and Christ's commandment to the apostles to be fishers of men.

Maison de la Lumiere

This private residence in Bologna is the work of Duilio Damilano. In his preference for clean, unadorned, straight line exteriors and interiors, Damilano recalls Frank Lloyd Wright without the roof overhangs. With features such as vast skylights and rooms with walls almost completely constructed of columns separated by wide, floor to ceiling windows, the structure exhibits both a contemporary lightness and flowing space.

Auditorium Parco della Musica

Designed by Renzo Piano, Italy's most famous living architect, this auditorium, built with arced walls and an organic flow, is a music complex of three halls and an outdoor amphitheatre that was completed in 2002 in north Rome. Significant ruins were unearthed during its construction. Fortunately, the site, originally developed for the 1960 Olympics, was large enough to allow the ruins to be incorporated into the complex, permitting the project to continue.

References

• Rome Art Lover: Contemporary Roman Architecture
• Contemporist: Maison de la Lumiere
• Italy Assist: Building Restrictions in Italy