Geometry and project: the example of Piazza della Vittoria in Genoa

Abstract

The study on the Genoese architectures in the thirties of Piazza della Vittoria highlights the paramount role of geometry for the project. The square, created by architect Marcello Piacentini between 1927 and 1930, stands opposite the railway station Genoa Brignole, pursuing a very logical representation: a new, very wide square surrounded by arcades ... the new civic-wordly heart of the city (M. Piacentini). The methodological tool applied for the critical reading was the integrated relief: perceptual and historical analysis, relief and graphic representation of the whole and of the details, reconstruction of the compositional logic, study of materials used; the different phases showed the trasversality of the role of geometry –verified by the metric survey and by the compositive reading of the proportions- and the presence of dimensional canons unusual for the city.

Keywords

• geometry
• project
• composition