Conference "Transizioni-Transitions" - University of Palermo

Veronica Riavis, a member of our Scientific Committee, represented the current and future developments of our Association "Raggi e ArchiTetture - Ville di Lignano" at the conference held at the University of Palermo.

Lignano as an Architecture Laboratory
Association Raggi e ArchiTetture - Ville di Lignano
In the year marking the 120th anniversary of the establishment of the first bathing resort, ten owners of historic villas designed by architects Marcello D'Olivo, Gianni Avon, Aldo Bernardis, Paolo Pascolo, Claudio Nardi, Iginio Cappai, and Pietro Mainardis decided to found an association to contribute to and make this significant heritage recognizable. A collaboration was initiated with the University of Udine for the cataloging and digitization of 20th-century architecture in the municipality of Lignano Sabbiadoro. Site inspections and educational workshops are planned to deepen and disseminate knowledge within the School of Architecture.

CONFERENCE "TRANSIZIONI-TRANSITIONS"
Crossing Modulating Proceeding

44th International Conference of Teachers of Representation Disciplines
Congress of the Italian Union for Drawing
Proceedings 2023

Veronica Riavis - University of Udine
Geometries and Transitions from Landscape to Architecture: Living in Lignano by Marcello D’Olivo

Abstract:
Marcello D’Olivo, Lignano Pineta, geometric analysis, architectural Boolean operations, advanced representation
Transition, understood as the interpretation from territorial to architectural scale through the use of mathematical geometries derived from nature, is a theme that accompanied Marcello D’Olivo (1921-1991) in the design of urban and architectural plans. This research aimed to delve into the living dimension experienced by the Udine architect by analyzing some of his significant works designed for the development plan of Lignano Pineta: the neighboring Mainardis (1954-1955) and Spezzotti (1955-1957) villas, and the unrealized villa tipo and Ellero (1955). These contemporary architectures reveal the designer's quest to integrate the villas with the surrounding landscape and the distinctive use of the circle, employed in various modulations to compose both the internal and external spaces of the buildings. The analysis was approached by translating the documentary material preserved at the D’Olivo Archive of the Civic Museums of Udine and the Archive of the Municipality of Lignano Sabbiadoro, utilizing computer-assisted representation tools in the realm of digital documentation to highlight geometric-figurative outcomes, and also to overcome the limitations imposed by screens through virtual exploration and physical prototyping of one of the examined architectures.

Introduction:
For Marcello D’Olivo (1921-1991), architectural design can restore the balance between man and nature. The interpretation of mathematical rules and geometric figures derived from nature, along with technological progress and scientific research, represents the necessary conditions to integrate architecture – regardless of dimensions and uses – into a specific environmental context. The colorful drawings, mathematical expressions, and calculations noted on paper demonstrate the architect’s interest in pure sciences, but also in botany, ecosystems, and cybernetics. Based on these studies, he justifies the forms experimented with on numerous design occasions: geometric figures, plant and animal morphologies that constitute the archetypes of his compositional language [Ferrieri 2008, pp. 144-145]. D’Olivo’s works diverge from the Italian cultural landscape of the time, with clear references to Le Corbusier and Wright. In particular, he derives from the latter the principle that binds the building to the ground: a harmonious entity akin to the environmental context [Wright 1945, p. 6]. In the "Discorso per un’altra architettura" [D’Olivo 1975], D’Olivo explores the relationship between buildings and the physical-natural world. Like plant structures, architecture must seek the most suitable solution to establish itself in a place: individual entities that, as in nature, are conditioned by the density of other organisms within the whole [D’Olivo 1975, p. 17-19].

The Udine architect further clarifies the fundamental principles for contemporary human habitation through the dual analogy between tree and city and between leaf and house, in an ideal vision where the artificial reality is comparable to the natural world because governed by the same laws [D’Olivo 1972, p. 55; Avon 2002, p. 20]. Architecture must thus emulate the functioning, static principles, capacity for modification, and balanced environmental control inherent to nature [Wragnaz 2002, pp. 55-56].

The realization of this thought – despite subsequent real estate speculation – is found in D’Olivo’s experience in Lignano Pineta: a territory where the city and its architectural entities are based on complex geometries inspired by and integrating with the lagoon landscape, making man a participant in this search for harmony.

Lignano Pineta and the Urban Spiral
In 1952, an area near Latisana with a strong tourist vocation was purchased by a group of entrepreneurs intending to establish a new seaside town. Following a competition, the task was entrusted to Marcello D’Olivo, who from the earliest designs and plans envisioned an urban layout based on a large road spiral – preceded by various logarithmic solutions and in the opposite direction to what was later realized in arithmetic form – integrating elements of the local landscape with service and holiday areas [Barillari 2014, 2016; Nicoloso 1998].

The evolving spiral develops clockwise with three loops deviating inland. Secondary paths radiate from the center: a double sinusoidal ribbon for services and ‘pagoda’ cover leads to the sea, while other parabolic paths branch out from the loops towards the beach or the pine forest. Perceptible only aerially, the road spiral was designed to be traversed by car, always facing greenery [D’Olivo 1975].
Unlike the logarithmic spiral, Archimedean spiral is absent in nature but allowed the architect to manage the subdivision uniformly due to the constant distance between the loops. The progression is 3 meters every 10° of displacement, with plots 100 meters wide and 50 meters deep. To blend with the land and vegetation, residential buildings had to be set back 20 meters from the road, not exceed two floors above ground, and their covered area could not exceed 20% of the plot.
Evoking the lagoon and maritime context, curvilinear traces and architectures integrate with dunes and scrubland, consisting of pioneer vegetation resistant to salt and containing marine winds, as well as some pine varieties used in the reforestation of Adriatic sandy coasts during the 20th century.

Lignano Pineta and the Villas
Lignano Pineta was for D’Olivo a workshop for experimenting with urban and architectural solutions. Here he designed buildings of various uses located in the plots of the spiral. He represented them through sinusoidal curves (the ‘Treno’), intersection/difference of circles derived from Boolean algebra (single-family villas, general service buildings), and sometimes through straight meshes or compositional studies on the square (terraced houses).
In particular, the theme of habitation experimented through the geometry of the circle and Boolean logics is very interesting for studying complex architectural forms designed by D’Olivo and their integration into the territory, but also for the distribution and functionality of internal and external spaces, as well as for furnishings. Significant are the nearby Mainardis and Spezzotti villas, and the unrealized villa Ellero and some ‘type’ houses from 1954. Based on original documents, the mentioned architectures were examined, then subjected to digital transcription and geometric analysis of the floor plans. The research aimed to reveal the architectural space traces and identify the recurring graphic elements in D’Olivo’s design method.

Except for the typological solution developed in 1954, the other three single-family villas develop over multiple levels, fitting between dunes and the pine forest. This research is evident in all views (plans, elevations, sections, and perspectives): the architectures integrate by adapting to the terrain's orography and blend into the greenery, adopting geometric transition solutions such as patterned paving, stairways, and the use of planters or flower beds. Especially observing the floor plans, the prominence of the geometric design over other compositional elements stands out: spaces and custom furnishings are regulated according to the tracings.
The plans developed in 1954 for the type villa constitute the first studies of housing for Lignano Pineta where the architect introduces the circle as an architectural matrix. In reality, the house’s development is contained in the straight central strip defined within two short circular arches and a 1x1 meter square mesh. The circular development of the masonry, therefore, mainly concerns the fencing walls and a service area interposed between the residential part and the car port. The subdivision of the circle and Boolean operations are instead hinted at by some steps, while a centripetal arrangement is evoked by curved planters and benches.
This unrealized housing solution finds an opportunity for further exploration in villa Mainardis (1954-1955), for which D’Olivo designed two variants. In the plans, the theme of centripetal architecture, division into sectors, and circular crown arches is highlighted, as well as composition through Boolean algebra. In the first version, similar to what was realized for the Lignano building Dancing ‘Il fungo’ (1954), a division of three circular sectors 120° wide frames the service areas, living, and sleeping zones. In the center of the volume, D’Olivo creates a large void within which a counter-clockwise staircase is inserted along the wall, while another vertical connection outside the plan adapts to the external landscaping.
In the second variant, a central semicircular space has a circular perimeter. Each of the three rooms is instead covered with a smaller circular arch, including the kitchen and service areas. Circular arches, defined in the walls, characterize the living areas and integrate with the external patio.
An evolution of the same solution is presented in the Spezzotti villa (1955-1957), which develops from a rectangular plan into a complex of geometric circular intersections with a consistent overall design and structure. The program is organized around a central circular void with radiating spaces: a living room and an open area overlooking the terrace, the two-bedroom area, and a larger terrace.
The exterior is marked by large, regular windows in masonry arches, while internal walls contain curved openings. The dining area is marked by an eccentric circular plan. The entrance area highlights circular arches with constant intersections on the wall perimeter, while the external portico fits into the residence as a regular, circular area.
The unrealized Ellero villa from 1955, which never reached the construction stage due to economic constraints, was instead presented in a more complex solution. Designed for a relatively large area in the spiral (a block 1x3 rectangular grid), the villa should have a central circular living area surrounded by service rooms and bedrooms, covered by a circular roof with a lantern. The central and square circle of 4 meters was surrounded by a circular wall and perimeter arches. The internal arches also delimited various areas such as storage, a portico, and an entrance with views of the surrounding landscape.

Conclusions:
D’Olivo's presence in Lignano Pineta reveals the architect's experimentation with innovative spatial concepts through the use of mathematical figures, geometric intersections, and Boolean operations. The rigorous compositional and functional systems are expressed in the transition from the landscape to the building, with clear influences from nature and a pursuit of harmony with the environment. The comparison between the documented cases provides insights into the geometric design principles that characterized D’Olivo’s architecture and their innovative responses to contemporary challenges of the time.
Architectural projects that integrate various elements, from the spiral urban planning to the geometrically innovative single-family villas, offer valuable lessons on how architecture can adapt and respond to environmental contexts while advancing design methodologies.

References:

• Avon, G. (2002). Rilancio e riflessione. Udine: Forum.
• Barillari, A. (2014). Le città di Lignano. Milano: Franco Angeli.
• Barillari, A. (2016). D’Olivo a Lignano. Udine: Forum.
• D’Olivo, M. (1972). La casa dell’uomo. Venezia: Marsilio.
• D’Olivo, M. (1975). Discorso per un’altra architettura. Udine: Forum.
• Ferrieri, G. (2008). Le geometrie di Marcello D’Olivo. Venezia: Marsilio.
• Nicoloso, D. (1998). Lignano Sabbiadoro e D’Olivo. Udine: Forum.
• Wragnaz, C. (2002). D’Olivo e la natura. Milano: Franco Angeli.
• Wright, F. L. (1945). The Natural House. New York: Horizon Press.