The P.L. Nervi structural route: from intuition to computation through geometry

The impressive work of Pier Luigi Nervi, a milestone of structural architecture, is pivoted on the synthesis of technology and art. Being aware of such twofold essence of the architectural phenomenon, Nervi resorted throughout his work to a brilliant integration between science and intuition. In the structural design process the static intuition, not to be confused with impromptu invention, but rather to be interpreted as ability to synthesize, achieved through meticulous and patient research, played a primary role. Nevertheless this approach did never lead to perfunctory empiricism and it was balanced by Nervi's care for the available scientific tools, namely experiments and computations. However, he could not yet rely neither on digital modeling nor on computational mechanics tools. Therefore the spatial morphogenesis as well as the structural behaviour of his truss beams, doubly curved and corrugated surfaces could mainly be assessed through a geometric language based on two-dimensional hand drawings, simplified computational schemes and experimental models. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the striking interplay between form and structure of Nervi's spatial architectures in light of his scientific route through intuition, geometry and computation. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, London.