Zevi and Olivetti: strategies for urban reconstruction (1945-46)

The essay analyzes the relationship between Bruno Zevi, architect and historian, and the industrialist Adriano Olivetti in the early post World War II era. It follows the first contacts, the initial resistance of Zevi to Olivetti’s initiatives and moreover the political project of Comunità, which was never fully accepted by Zevi. However,starting from the year 1948, when Olivetti purchased the magazine Metron, and soon after his commitment inside the Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica (INU), the heroic season of the collaboration between Olivetti, Zevi, Piccinato Astengo, Quaroni started focusing on planning, prefabrication, standardization and modern urban planning legislation