Pier Luigi Nervi: Architecture for Sport

Architecture for Sport on show at MAXXI, Rome

In February 2016, Architecture for Sport offers a unique opportunity to examine the progression in design and constructional methods of Italian engineer Pier Luigi Nervi. Having taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946-61, Nervi is widely known as a structural engineer and an architect, and for his innovative use of reinforced concrete.

On display at Museo Nazionale della Arti del XXI Secolo (MAXXI) in Rome, this large collection includes drawings, photographs, documents and models of over 60 sports facilities, predominantly collected from the Archive Nervi in the collections of MAXXI Architettura. From early works such as the Stadio Berta in Florence to the buildings for the 1960 Rome Olympics and through to the great international projects such as the Kuwait Sports Centre, the exhibition provides a comprehensive view of Nervi’s development as an architect and engineer. 

The display is enriched by graphic presentations and three-dimensional constructional models including a special model in Plexiglas of the Palazzetto dello Sport made by two students from the ISIA, the Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche (Rome), Aureliano Capri and Elettra Renzi.

The model reveals the system for distributing forces conceived by Nervi for the building and constitutes a central element in a series of guided visits devoted to Nervi’s work that also include a “tactile” route designed for blind and partially-sighted people. Realised in collaboration the Centro Regionale Sant’Alessio, the route involves a walk around the Palazzetto dello Sport introducing participants to the built structure and an exhibition visit facilitated by the model and tactile tables.

Pier Luigi Nervi: Architecture for Sport is on show at MAXXI, Rome from 5 February 2016.
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