From the fruitful exchange between structural engineering and architecture and, in general, from the encounter between artistic and scientific disciplines, great masterpieces can emerge. Especially after the Second World War, Italy experienced a golden season, characterised by the dialogue between great designers and masters of engineering such as Pierluigi Nervi and Sergio Musmeci. The result were works –  often “forgotten” – that contributed to the modernisation of the country, as well as experimenting with innovative construction languages and techniques.

The exhibition “Technoscape. The architecture of engineers”, which opened on 1 October 2022 at the MAXXI museum in Rome and can be visited until 10 April 2023. Curators Maristella Casciato and Pippo Ciorra address it with a look at the international panorama and through a selection of projects realised by Norman Foster with Eckersley O'Callaghan, Toyo Ito, Louis Kahn, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frei Otto and Günter Behnisch, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, OMA, SANAA...

The exhibition presents a historical journey with more than 40 masterpieces depicted through drawings, models, archive documents and photographs. Thin shells, suspended volumes, reticular structures and alternative materials are the protagonists of this piece of construction engineering history, which develops from the 1950s to the present day. Among the iconic buildings on display are Nervi's Palazzetto dello Sport in Rome, Frei Otto's Olympic Multihalle, Ove Arup's Sydney Opera House, Lina Bo Bardi and Figuereido Ferraz's São Paulo Museum, and Buckminster Fuller's domes.

In addition to the collection of existing architecture, in “Technoscape” we find seven installations created by university research centres from all over the world. The aim of this section is to accompany us into the future of engineering and explore the most innovative perspectives: new materials, environmental action, digital fabrication, robotics...

In particular, Princeton University and the Eucentre Foundation of the IUSS of Pavia, both engaged in the study of environmental disasters, will respectively propose a solution in response to tidal waves and a system for safeguarding human life during earthquakes.