Pier Luigi Nervi

Sondrio, Lombardy 1891-1979

Pier Luigi Nervi ( b.1891 - d.1979)

Biography
1913 Graduates from the engineering department at the University of Bologna 1920 Founds construction firm in Rome

1939 Patent on construction of aircraft hangers from prefabricated reinforced concrete sections
1943 Patent on vaults of 300 meter span constructed from prefabricated reinforced concrete sections 1946 Invents 'Ferrocement'

Nervi believed that architecture and engineering were two connected parts of a whole. He borrowed from both Roman & Renaissance architecture to create aesthetically pleasing structures, yet he applied structural aspects such as ribbing and vaulting. He did a lot of experimentation with R.C.C. to create structures of strength, simplicity and grace . He became internationally renowned for his invention of ferrocement
Turin Exhibition Building

Principles:
Improvement of structural strength and elimination of columns achieved through ribbing and vaulting.

Use of simple geometry .

Use of sophisticated prefabrication.

Turin Exhibition Building

Projects Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence (1931) Exhibition Building, in Turin, Italy, (1949). UNESCO headquarters in Paris (1950) (collaborating with Marcel Breuer and others) Palazzetto dello Sport in Rome, Italy (1958) Olympic Stadium in Rome (1960) Palazzo del Lavoro, in Turin (1961) Paper Mill in Mantua, Italy, (1962) George Washington Bridge Bus Station in New York City (1963) Tour de la Bourse in Montreal (1964) Field House at Dartmouth College Thompson Ice Arena at Dartmouth College Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, California (1967) (collaborating with Pietro Belluschi) Good Hope Centre in Cape Town (1976) by Studio Nervi, Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, VA (1973)

Palazzetto dello Sport Rome (1958)

Palazzetto dello Sport Rome

(Little sports palace)

Built : 1956-1957 Location :Rome ,Italy Function : Stadium / Arena Part of : Olympic summer games 1960 Structural type : Ribbed dome

Ribbon windows

Ribbed dome Prefabricated panels

Y - columns

SECTION Built for the 1960 Olympics, the palazzetto is a modest sports stadium in an innovative concrete dome. PLAN

Prefabricated polygonal panels Steel reinforcement

Its shallow calotte shell is composed of 1628 polygonal prefabricated parts which form a textured diamond pattern from the inside,created by the webs in which the connecting steel reinforcements were laid.

The progression of the ribs is organic in effect and it does not follow the actual line of force .

F
F F

Therefore the development of the rim of the dome was particularly important.The unequal load which is getting transferred on the rim of the dome may cause substantial static problems. Therefore Nervi found a new solution.

Triangular concrete elements transfer the load to sloping piers angled exact direction of the force. Concrete surface of the roof is continued to form an undulating border thus the roof skin is drawn optically lower .

Exterior view showing the Y column View through the ribbon window of the Y column

Load transfer

Force diagram

Saint Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco

Built : 1971
Location : San Francisco , California Function : Cathedral Structural type : Reinforced concrete Style : Structural Expressionist Modern

When this cathedral was built ,the design of this ultra-modern structure was compared to the agitating element in a washing machine, because of the roof profile.

The roof is of anticlastic type

The building may look a bit odd externally but The interiors are sleek, and grand. It seats 2,400 people in a semicircle around the altar. The central dome soars 15 stories into the air and is supported by buttresses incorporated into the four corners of the building

35 m

The corner walls beyond the buttresses are floor-to-ceiling plate glass.

Exhibition Building, Turin

Palazzo per esposizioni salone (1947)

Turin Exhibition Hall

Built : 1947 - 1949

Location :Turin, Italy

Function : Fair or trade building

Structural type : Barrel shell or vault ribbed

Area
240 ft 309 ft.

corrugated pre-cast units

Windows are arranged in the corrugated units

in situ concrete abutments

The vaulted construction of the hall consists of prefabricated elements which spring from in situ concrete abutments

The prefabricated units are of ferro-cement

Corrugated precast parts

length approx - 15 ft width approx - 8 ft 3 inches. thickness is less than 2 inches. This small thickness is achieved only by the increased rigidity through the corrugation and the transverse webs at either end. The individual units are joined by in situ concrete.

Corrugated prefabricated parts

Thank you !
Amruta Bhagwat
Sanam Mulani