Il ruolo della ricerca archivistica nella redazione di un piano di conservazione : il caso dei saloni di Pier Luigi Nervi a Torino Esposizioni

Pier Luigi Nervi’s construction process of Turin Exhibition Center is unknown due to the absence of both historical sources and time schedules. The two halls represent the first example of application of the “sistema Nervi”, a particular building method characterized by the coexistence of a prefabrication construction site and a traditional one. The history of Turin Exhibition Center is intertwined with the registration of many patents by Pier Luigi Nervi. Many of them were registered to cope with the shortage of materials such as timber and iron, other ones were registered to speed up the construction process. The two halls in Turin became the first place for Pier Luigi Nervi to test the application of his inventions, and in particular of the structural prefabrication. Many forms of degradation that occur today in Pier Luigi Nervi’s halls are due to his complicated construction system, that has been analyzed. In order to identify the most vulnerable portions of Turin’s constructions and in order to define a Conservation Plan, it is necessary to investigate how the prefabricated elements were mounted. Factors such as temperature, maturation and assembly speed has been taken into account. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how the archival research plays a central role in carrying out a Conservation Plan. The research on the transformation phases has led to the definition of guidelines to direct the diagnostic investigation.