The MilanTriennale Exhibitions and the Debate on Prefabrication in Postwar Italy

In the global perspective offered by the present book, the “experimental” con- ceptualizations, production methods, and prototypes showcased at the Milan Triennale Exhibitions constitute a significant case study for exploring the im- pact of prefabrication on modernist architectural languages, focusing on the relationship between the technological advances and design processes, at the scale of the single construction system. In the aftermath of World War II, rebuilding as fast as possible was a priority in most of Europe, and applying the patterns of industrial processes to building appeared to be the best approach in terms of both efficacy and cost. However, owing to frequent clashes between private enterprise and public policy in regard to the societal and economic issues involved in urban planning, building industrialization in Italy was a delayed and less systematic process than elsewhere in Europe. Nevertheless, experimentation and the spread of information about new construction methods played a vital role in architectural culture in Italy. In this chapter, we focus on the eighth, tenth, and twelfth editions of the Triennale: the successive exhibitions served to update the state of the art of building prefabrication and industrialization culture in Italy, from the postwar reconstruction to the economic miracle years. The Triennale’s historic archive was the key source for our study.