Il Motel Agip di Mario Ridolfi. Dall’analisi grafica alla rappresentazione parametrica e immersiva

The research aims to describe the process of generation and growth of the architectural form of an unrealized project by Mario Ridolfi, the Agip Motel in Settebagni, through the aid of graphic analysis, geometric and parametric modeling and virtual reality . Versatile architect, with a vast production, well documented by the sources, of completed and unrealized projects, the latter little studied, especially from the point of view of geometry. The abundant presence of design documentation has made it possible to identify and reconstruct the geometric layout on which the motel tower is based: a decagonal matrix plan with star-shaped vertices, in a progression of floors defined by a cylindrical helix. This polycentric trend of the elevation is manifested in a torsion of the building, and in a continuous irregularity of the internal plans, which therefore requires the project a considerable commitment to adapt. Starting from the graphic reconstruction, a 3D model of the plan and a parametric script of the envelope were created, which controls the various functions of the torsion and the different perimeters. Finally, at the end of the restitution, it was decided to reproduce the discrete parametric model in an augmented reality system, with an interactive mechanism for scrolling through the planes of the model and effectively visualizing the evolution of the heights.