UN EDIFICIO "MODERNO" DEL DOPOGUERRA A PALERMO: L'ISTITUTO NAUTICO

The rebuilding of the second world war half-destroyed cities was an occasion to try languages and modern techniques that was exceeded by the monumentality of the fascism just after a few good realizations. In Palermo, the rebuilding started, also with some architecture competition, a few projects that brought to fine examples of modern architecture. The Istituto Nautico is a very singular case; he was built in what was the ex San Bartolomeo Hospital, whose only the eighteenth century valuable arcade was salvaged. The winning project was remarkable for the inclusion of organic poetry elements in the rationalist architecture and as one of the first example of the inclusion of a new architecture in an old monumental building. About 50 years since his realization, made with great changes in regard to the original project, is very important the question about how to work on a modern building to save it and to respect the original idea and at the same time respect the current urbanistic and restauration laws.