The recovery of the ethic of constructions: P. L. Nervi vs. S. Musmeci, two structural conceptions compared

The works of two of the grandest engineers of the 20th century's italian scene, inspire some remarks on the approach to the relations between the design and building practice, both from the creative point of view and everything concerning the theoretical and practical aspects. Pier Luigi Nervi and Sergio Musmeci are indeed two paradigmatic figures of structural engineer-architect who used the language of rational mechanics and structural engineering in very different ways, also with a careful look at the needs of image communication. Their figures respectively represent the constructive (technics) and the mathematical (techniques) dimension of the structural conception in architecture; the former concerning the influence of the structural language in realized architectures (forms), the latter related to the potentiality of calculus in the invention of new shapes. They differently aimed at the same target, trying to preserve some tectonic ethic in their creative workflow, leading the way to an effective convergence between ars and techné, form and structure, rigour and soul. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group.