Ettore Mazzola: Implementing the lesson of early XX c. traditional buildings for an inheritable city

Ettore Maria Mazzola (University of Notre Dame, Rome): Implementing the lesson of early 20th century traditional buildings for an inheritable city. The examples of Corviale (Rome) and ZEN (Palermo) districts.
The lesson of the early Italian 20th century vernacular/traditional buildings and districts by ICP (Social Housing Institute), which were quickly and inexpensively built, suggests the right way to improve our cities while respecting the environment. Moreover, the socio-economic strategy of those days shows what we can do to re-train artisans and generate a vast artisanship, which could reduce the restoration costs of our heritage. As matter of fact, that wise way of building aimed not only at providing new decorous houses, but also at generating labour and reducing future maintenance costs. The success and durability of the buildings of those districts were not accidental: their authors’ assessments, as well as the urban rules conceived in those days, show that everything was carefully planned thanks to an interdisciplinary approach. The use of traditional masonry, which does not need to wait for the hardening times of concrete to be loaded, allowed the quick constructions of those buildings: for instance, 6 months for 44 houses of the district San Saba and only 4 for the entire Lot 24 of the Garbatella in Rome. These traditional masonry houses, whose revalued building costs were roughly 50% less than current ones, have not needed to be restored for over 100 years and are among the most sought-after properties in real estate (€/sqm 11,000, like in the historical centre). Furthermore, the wise construction policy of those days shows us how we can solve the problem of housing, earning public profits from it rather than increasing public debt. The cases studied in this paper regard the projects for the urban regeneration of two wretched suburbs, in Rome and Palermo. They both show how, thanks to the simple reuse of the pre-Fascist laws and tools, as well as of traditional masonry, we can achieve the above-mentioned program.
Ettore Maria Mazzola is an architect, urbanist, restorer, painter and author of several essays and books. Additionally, he is Professor of Architecture and Urbanism for the Rome Program of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, Vice-President of A.U.T. (Architettura e Urbanistica Tradizionale), member of the Committee for Urbanism of Italia Nostra, member of INTBAU, and board-member of Making Cities Livable. In 2006 he has been member of the International Scientific Committee for The Venice Charter Revisited. Additionally, he acts as co-editor of the magazines Il Covile and Dionysos, serves in the Scientific Committee of the Symmetria Institute, and runs the blog Virtutem Forma Decorat (www.picweb.it/... addition to implementing numerous restoration projects in Rome, Ettore Maria Mazzola has carried out several projects for residences, and primary and secondary schools in the Moscow Region, in collaboration with the architect Maxim Atayants. His urban projects have been the recipients of several awards and/or mentions of honour. In 2016 he has been invited by UNESCO as one of the 500 international personalities called to provide suggestions and sketches for the reconstruction in Syria. He has been involved in the documentaries “Who’s Jesus” (Fox News, 2004); “Great Continental Railway Journeys - Rome of 1913” (BBC2, 2013). “Rome’s Invisible City” (BBC2 TV, NOVA TV, 2014) and an audio-documentary dedicated to the E.U.R. District in Rome for the program “Blueprint for Living” aired by Radio National of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
00:00 Titles
00:35 Introduction
02:21 Modernist Social housing
06:17 Characteristics of social housing
10:00 Traditional building method
14:21 Its bottom-line cost and value
17:39 The Corviale in Rome
25:28 The ZEN in Palermo