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

 Ribbed dome
Ribbon windows
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
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 semi-

circle around the altar.
The central dome soars 15
stories into the air and is 35 m
supported by buttresses
incorporated into the four
corners of the building

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
Corrugated end.
prefabricated parts
The individual units are
joined by in situ concrete.
Thank you !

Amruta Bhagwat
Sanam Mulani