Architecture in times of economic crisis, through the works of the mega-stars of the architectural sphere but also through productive recovery and transformation, interpreted in a fair, ecologically sustainable way.
For the Italy Pavilion at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition, organized by the Venice Biennale, architect and town-planner Luca Zevi has chosen to focus on the example of Adriano Olivetti, and his way of rooting productive growth in the culture of the country, as the key of interpretation. The catalog concentrates on four seasons of Italian production: the legacy of Adriano Olivetti’s thinking, the season of ‘individual subjectivity’ which followed industrialization, the decentralization of production to locally-based enterprise and current Italian architecture (with more than 100 charts focusing on Italian businesses which, through their achievements, have interpreted entrepreneurial responsibility in an innovative way, from Ferrari at Maranello to the Kilometro Rosso near Bergamo, from the Prada factories to the Guzzini workshops). And, finally, the shift towards green economy, with the Italy Pavilion prepared for the first time in an ecologically sustainable way, run on energy generated by the sun, water and the pedaling skills of its visitors, a prototype of possible architecture based on landscape, the environment and production. Architecture in times of economic crisis, through the works of the mega-stars of the architectural sphere but also through productive recovery and transformation, interpreted in a fair, ecologically sustainable way.