vittoria capresi | Technische Universität Berlin (original) (raw)

Books by vittoria capresi

Things don't really exist until you give them a name. Unpacking urban heritage, 2018

What are these purpose built rural centres realised in Libya and how many were built for Ital... more What are these purpose built rural centres realised in Libya and how many were built for Italian and Libyan families during the fascist occupation? Were all the planned projects by the regime really implemented? What is the current state of conservation and how are the structures being utilised today? The purpose of this book is to clarify these uncertainties which are still associated with this architecture today. From a scientific perspective, the results of historical and archival research aim to reconstruct and explain the mechanisms of constructions and the management of territory as well as the architects involved and details of the village projects. The other perspective presented takes the form of easy to use charts which summarise both objective data and theoretical evaluations of each centre.
An original and novel work composed of both useful and important information concerning the current use and conservation of this unique architecture, accompanied by rich illustrations which allow a direct comparison of the structures at the time of construction and their contemporary condition today.

Papers by vittoria capresi

Metamorphosis. The Continuity of Change. Proceedings of the 15th International docomomo Conference, 2018

How many good ideas are needed to rehabilitate unused buildings? How many positively-intentioned ... more How many good ideas are needed to rehabilitate unused buildings? How many positively-intentioned investors are necessary to reactivate spaces with no clearly visible potentials? What if the buildings have an unpleasant political past?
The buildings of the LPGs (Agricultural Production Cooperatives) of the former German Democratic Republic stand nowadays in the landscape as silent
memorials to a failed economic utopia. This paper focuses on presenting the former production buildings of the LPGs and discusses their role as heritage and their uncertain future. After a short introduction of the historical moment and a presentation of the reasons why they were built, the building typologies will be briefly introduced. The paper will conclude with a presentation of some of the ideas developed after a semester of research and work with bachelor architecture students of the Design Studio at the Technical University of Berlin.
The conclusion is open: does it make sense to maintain and reuse these buildings? https://issuu.com/docomomo_si/docs/1_pdfsam_docomomo_layout_new_ebook

REGIONALISM, NATIONALISM & MODERN ARCHITECTURE. Proceedings. Edited by Jorge Cunha Pimentel, Alexandra Trevisan and Alexandra Cardoso. Porto: CEAA, 2018, 2018

Which style for Libya, Italian colony during Fascism? The paper explores the theoretical debate o... more Which style for Libya, Italian colony during Fascism? The paper explores the theoretical debate on the colonial style, pointing out the diverse theoretical positions and the gap with the realisations in the colony at the beginning of the colonisation. From the mid of the 1930s the architecture in the colony take a particular direction and follow a certain style, which – beyond any Moorish or Arabisances – seem to consciously re-elaborate vernacular architecture. The concept of “cubism” is than explained, as probably the most interesting contribution to the architecture in the colony.

Maghreb et sciences sociales 2012, Thème 3, pp.207-219, 2012

Q uesto intervento analizza le realizzazioni architettoniche del colonialismo italiano in Libia, ... more Q uesto intervento analizza le realizzazioni architettoniche del colonialismo italiano in Libia, indagando il concetto di continuità coniugato a diversi livelli di scala. Viene dimostrato come permanenze ad un livello di pianificazione urbanistica, di utilizzo dell'architettura e di appropriazione dei simboli di potere, segnino il periodo postcoloniale libico. In particolare è posta attenzione sul fenomeno di continuità dopo la fine del colonialismo : tralasciando le fasi intermedie, l'analisi si concentra sull'oggi, approfondendo le influenze che i modelli introdotti dal fascismo hanno avuto sul successivo sviluppo della Libia.

Architectura. Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Baukunst, Deutsche Kunstverlag München Berlin, 2007, 2007

Book Chapter by vittoria capresi

100 YEARS BAUHAUS. What interest do we take in Modern Movement today?, 2019

Which kind of afterlife can we imagine for buildings built as an expression of a political ideolo... more Which kind of afterlife can we imagine for buildings built as an expression of a political ideology? Is it possible to functionally reuse political architecture without forgetting about its original purpose?
The new towns and settlements founded under Mussolini in Italy and in colonial Libya planned for internal colonisation purpouses, definitively changed the landscape, contributing to the building up of a political and territorial ideology.
The main message was that of power: the buildings and town planning created by the Fascist State offered the perfect background to the political propaganda, showing the absolute bond between ideology and its physical representation.
What happened after the end of Fascism? Were the buildings related to power, stripped of their political meanings? Is it enough to decolonise the single buildings, or should the overall townscape be involved in the process?
The paper will introduce some theoretical thoughts to discuss the topic of the afterlives of fascist architecture. The idea of functional reuse will be questioned, using examples from the Italian fascism, in particular the new settlements in the Pontine Plain and in colonial Libya.

SHS Web Conf. Volume 63, 2019 Modernism, Modernisation and the Rural Landscape, Proceedings of the MODSCAPES_conference2018 & Baltic Landscape Forum , 2019

The foundation of the new settlements, both in Italy and colonial Libya, was a step to achieving ... more The foundation of the new settlements, both in Italy and colonial Libya, was a step to achieving the project of internal colonisation launched by Mussolini. The modernisation of the countryside was promulgated by the Fascist propaganda, which presented only a misleading impression of how life was. What happens if-as an additional level of interpretation-we add the narratives of the inhabitants who lived these moments? This paper presents this original methodical approach, introducing the narratives of the settlers in relation to the presence of politics in daily life during the Fascist era.

Colonial Architecture and Urbanism in Africa. Intertwined and Contested Histories, 2012

Proceedings of the International Conference "20th Century New Towns. Archetypes and Uncertainties"

The paper aims at analysing the newly-founded Italian settlements in colonial Libya, proposing a ... more The paper aims at analysing the newly-founded Italian settlements in colonial Libya, proposing a critical interpretation of their urban planning and the related architectural solutions adopted. First, the settlements will be considered as the basic element for the physical organisation of the territory, and secondly, as places for the social identification of the Italian rural community newly settled in the colony. The role of the piazza, the central space of every new settlement, will be studied: was it really the theatre where Fascism staged its power, as the material expression of the political control over the territory? Through oral history methods, the first collected narratives will be related to the architecture and town planning of the settlement, to point out the multi-layered functions of the square.

Poggi, spighi, primitivismo e italianita', BOLLETTINO DELLA SOCIETÀ DI STUDI FIORENTINI, n.20, 2011

At the beginning of the last century, interest in the architecture of the Italian proto-Renaissan... more At the beginning of the last century, interest in the architecture of the Italian proto-Renaissance was common in Viennese schools of architecture. At the Vienna University of Technology (the Hochbauschule at that time), the architects Oskar Strnad, Oskar Wlach and Josef Frank concluded their doctoral researches between 1904 and 1910, focusing on topics related to the marble cladding of the proto-Renaissance and Renaissance in Italy. The text analyses the background which caused this interest, pointing out similarities in the approach and development of the topic by the three architects.

All’inizio del secolo scorso a Vienna l’interesse per l’architettura del Protorinascimento Italiano era comune tra le più importanti Scuole di Architettura della città. Alla Università Tecnica (la Hochbauschule dell’epoca) gli architetti Oskar Strnad, Oskar Wlach e Josef Frank conclusero le Tesi di Dottorato tra il 1904 e 1910, dedicando le loro ricerche ad argomenti correlati alle incrostazioni marmoree del Protorinascimento e Rinascimento in Italia. Il testo analizza i motivi di questo particolare interesse,
evidenziando similitudini nell’approccio tematico e nello sviluppo del tema nei lavori dei tre architetti.

Firenze, modernizzazione e italianita', BOLLETTINO DELLA SOCIETÀ DI STUDI FIORENTINI, n.21, 2011

""Can we refer to Rationalism talking about Italian colonial architecture in Libya? The architect... more ""Can we refer to Rationalism talking about Italian colonial architecture in Libya? The architectural style proposed in Libya offers an answer to the State request of being “Colonial”, “Italian”, “Modern”, “Fascist” and “Monumental”. The text aims at analysing which are the stylistic solutions adopted in the colony, concluding with a definition of Libyan Rationalism, as an innovative combination of local influences and functional elements used for the new rural centres.

Si può parlare di architettura coloniale italiana in Libia? Lo stile effettivamente proposto in colonia offre una risposta alle richieste da parte dello Stato di realizzare una architettura “Coloniale”, “Italiana”, “Moderna”, “Fascista” e “Monumentale”. Il testo analizza le soluzioni stilistiche adottate in Libia, concludendo con la definizione di “Razionalismo libico” per le forme dei nuovi centri rurali, inteso come una combinazione innovativa tra influenze locali e elementi funzionali fusi.""