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We present the TPJ book review by Kenneth Frampton of Modern and Site Specific: The Architecture of Gino Valle 1946-2003 by co-authors Pierre-Alain Croset and Luka Skansi. According to Frampton, Croset and Skansi “have made a significant cut into the labyrinthine complexity of Valle’s work which was never more enigmatic than when, as a young artist/architect, having won the prestigious Bergamo Prize for painting in 1943, he should spontaneously dump the entire body of his work into a Venetian canal.”
Lastly, we share information from Modern Venice Map: Guide to 20th Century Architecture in Venice, Italy (2021).
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In Kenneth Frampton’s book review of Modern and Site Specific: The Architecture of Gino Valle 1946-2003, Frampton describes the work of co-authors Pierre-Alain Croset and Luka Skansi:
“One of the great virtues of this study are the extraordinarily detailed footnotes, particularly in the early chapters, testifying to the dedication of the authors in pursuing their research not only with respect to the Valle archive, but also with regard to the reception of Valle’s work across his lifetime, subject as it was to continual assessment and interpretation in Italian and other European journals and books, etc. Last but not least, the English version is graced with a touching introduction by Joseph Rykwert who knew Valle exceptionally well and who first introduced me to his work.”
Frampton provides an in-depth description of Valle’s extraordinary career. He also gives mention to many who influenced his work. For example, in the early 1950s his study with Walter Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and introduction to the projects of Frank Lloyd Wright are reflected in Valle’s designs. In the 1960s it is evident that Valle’s architecture was influenced by Italian contemporaries like Carlo Scarpa and Franco Albini.
Portello Business Cluster, Milan (2001-05). Master plan by Gino Valle. The public square is now named after the architect (Piazza Gino Valle) - source: wikimedia commons.
Modern and Site Specific: The Architecture of Gino Valle 1946-2003 contains fourteen chapters that break down Valle’s career chronologically with each chapter carefully identifying a given range of dates. Within these chapters the reader becomes aware of the wide range of Valle’s work including banks, courthouses, factories, offices, social housing, and town halls. From small towns like his native Friuli to large cities like Berlin and New York, Valle’s new architecture conjured dynamic dialogue regarding the structures’ relationship to their historic context and urban environment. While his portfolio was substantially dedicated to contemporary working spaces, his upscale clientele started regionally and grew to be international. In the profound foreword, John Rykwert describes his friend as being “worldly-wise” and having an “attachment to site and the builders’ work” which can be attributed to his stature.
Frampton’s truly insightful book review in the reflective practice section of TPJ as well as Croset and Skansi’s monograph, Modern and Site Specific: The Architecture of Gino Valle 1946-2003, promise to provide a special opportunity to learn more about the world-renowned European architect— Gino Valle.
We thank the author!
Kenneth Frampton is the Ware Professor of Architecture at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.
Pierre-Alain Croset is a Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Politecnico di Milano.
Luka Skansi is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Politecnico di Milano.
Joseph Rykwert is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania.
Modern Venice Map: Guide to 20th Century Architecture in Venice, Italy contains photography by Alessandra Chemollo and an introduction written by Professor of architectural history, Marco Mulazzani. Also included are mentions of buildings by Alvar Aalto, Tadao Ando, Santiago Calatrava, David Chipperfield, Rem Koolhas, Pier Luigi Nervi, Carlo Scarpa, James Stirling, and others. In addition to the beautiful folded double-sided map, there are details and stunning photographs of each building.
English
2 pages
Blue Crow Media
March 15, 2021
6 x 0.25 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10: 1912018950
ISBN-13: 987-1912018956
To learn more, check out: Modern Venice Map
We invite you to delve in and explore Frampton’s book review of Modern and Site Specific: The Architecture of Gino Valle 1946-2003 as well as Chemollo and Mulazzani’s Modern Venice Map: Guide to 20th Century Architecture in Venice, Italy. Enjoy discovering how modern architecture celebrates the characters of places!
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