Relationship between building type and construction technologies in the first Friuli Venezia Giulia hydroelectric plants

Abstract

The paper focuses on the hydroelectric plants in Friuli Venezia Giulia, especially those along the Cellina and Meduna rivers. The technological revolution of water exploitation to produce electricity led to the construction of these buildings between the 19th and 20th centuries; their different structural, technical, architectural, and engineering features became interesting case studies for such industrial heritage. The research analyzed the main features of the power plants built along the Cellina (Malnisio, Giais, Partidor, and San Foca) and Meduna (Meduno, Colle, Istrago, Chievolis, and Valina) rivers, from an architectural, formal, functional, and constructive point of view. The study of these iconic buildings, one infrastructure system related to the “waterways”, allows them to be placed within the logic of settlement and production phenomena, and by reinterpreting them in a modern key makes possible refurbishment strategies with actualized needs and functions.