忘れられたアイコン 工業建築の緑青 Forgotten Icons. The Patina of Industrialized Architecture

The subject of how twentieth-century architecture ages is highly complex and detailed. This is the case from the physical point of view, if one thinks of the progressive deterioration of materials that lack the durability of traditional ones. Reinforced concrete, even when well made, will remain in good health for fifty, or at most seventy, years. It is in no way comparable with the durability of the granite of the Egyptian pyramids or the brick masonry of the early Christian basilicas. Steel, especially in maritime areas, requires regular maintenance, while the plastic envelopes of buildings cannot withstand the inevitable thermal excursions on a south-facing façade, and neoprene joints have to be replaced periodically because they lose elasticity. But the problem is not only decay: it is also a question of the significance and values that the architectural work acquires (or loses) over time