Antico come nuovo. Restauro come brand di progetto di architettura
In: Quaderni dell'Istituto di Storia dell'Architettura: n.s. 2019, 2020
DOI: 10.48255/1050
Ancient as new. Restoration as an architectural design ‘brand’
Among the thoughts that Giovanni Carbonara has offered for a broader reinterpretation of recent experiences
in the culture of restoration, stand out those concerning the ‘current status’ of a building, and other ones
concerning the ‘conceptual status’ of the building, between designing and subsequent realisation. In this
way, Carbonara analyses the different positions of Jean Nouvel and Renzo Piano about Beaubourg in
Paris, one of contemporary iconic architecture. The different way about ‘conserving’ the building becomes
an opportunity to consider the intellectual path of the architectural restoration culture. In the dialectical
comparison between Piano -one of the building’s designers- and Nouvel, the remarkable value that the
French architect recognises at Beaubourg clearly emerges, even though the original project had undergone
substantial changes for regulatory reasons; changes that would have distorted the ‘conceptual state’ of the
design idea.