La costruzione metallica in Italia negli anni dell’autarchia

In Italy, in the twentieth century around the thirties, it was developing the debate on modern architecture, although, at the same time, in the current building It spreads definitively the mixed construction in reinforced concrete and masonry. Secondary, but not least important, the metallic construction continues to have a leading role in the building sector, certainly stimulated by the renewal of the architectural language. It becomes, in a short time, the subject of an intense promotional activity and popularizing action, as well as an interesting constructive and experimental research. But, by the end of this decade, to the many sanctions, to a strong autarchy ongoing and to the reasons of the underlying anti-industrial building policy, to all of this must be added, as well known, the pressing war motivations. In this climate which threatens the extinction of the metal construction, the strong activity of propaganda-divulging promoted by Giuseppe Pagano at the Triennale and on the pages of "Casabella", turns into a desperate defense. Giuseppe Pagano considerably takes a stand for this by stressing that there are cases where the metal structure is indispensable. These are themes which are reiterated in the contributions to the study of steel building systems appearing in large numbers in the specific column “Costruzioni Metalliche“ that remains active until February 1940. Despite the efforts of Pagano and "Casabella", the metal structure, which in the thirties was just able to establish itself as a new linguistic tool, at this stage is completely excluded from the world of building production. The already sporadic realizations are completely interrupted and the only exceptions pertain to parts of the building in which the steel is used to solve the problem of the great lights in high representative works, such as the largest metal cruise Palazzo dei Congressi in Rome by Adalberto Libera and others. The proposed contribution aims to highlight the significant aspects of the Italian event linked to the use of steel in the years of maximum pressure of the autarchic policy, supported by the analysis of a few representative realized works.