About us
In 2016 a group of architects from the school of architecture of the University of Parma, Carlo Quintelli, Carlo Gandolfi, Enrico Prandi, started three researches on the archival collections of architects Ignazio Gardella, Roberto Menghi, Luigi Vietti conservators at CSAC – Centro Studi e Archivio of the Communication of Parma. Being three important figures of the Italian architectural twentieth century, the three research groups made up of professors and researchers from various Italian universities work independently with similar approaches, comparing each other’s work in progress outcomes. The common goal is that of the study and critical evaluation of the authors and their architectures.
The three figures have different levels of knowledge and also the relative archival funds have different insights: the fund of the engineer-architect Ignazio Gardella is the most studied, thorough and complete in terms of filing; the fund of architect Roberto Menghi is less studied and part of the documentation still to be analyzed; the collection of the architect Luigi Vietti, the last in chronological order to have been acquired also considering the vastness, is the least studied and still contains a lot of cataloging material.
The three research groups returned on 15-16 March 2019 in the form of an international conference entitled “Italian lessons. Gardella Menghi Vietti“, the state of the art of ongoing research.
Also in 2019, the group participated in the competitive tender and obtained funding in the YITP project – Young Investigator Training Program of ACRI (Associazioni delle Fondazione e Casse di Risparmio Italiane) by proposing the international conference “Italian lessons for Mediterranean architecture. Gardella, Menghi, Vietti” which will be held on 24-25 November 2022 in Parma.
The program provides awards for individual research to young foreign researchers who will join the Italian research groups, continuing the critical in-depth work on the three funds and participating with a paper at the International Conference.
Nel 2016 un gruppo di architetti della scuola di architettura dell’Università di Parma, Carlo Quintelli, Carlo Gandolfi, Enrico Prandi, hanno avviato tre ricerche sui fondi archivistici degli architetti Ignazio Gardella, Roberto Menghi, Luigi Vietti conservati al CSAC – Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione di Parma. Trattandosi di tre importanti figure del 900 architettonico italiano, i tre gruppi di ricerca composti da docenti e ricercatori provenienti da diverse università italiane operano in autonomia con approccio metodologico analogo confrontandosi reciprocamente esiti work in progress. L’obiettivo comune è quello dello studio e della valorizzazione critica degli autori e delle loro architetture
Le tre figure hanno livello di conoscibilità diversi ed anche i relativi fondi archivistici hanno approfondimenti diversi: il fondo dell’ingegnere-architetto Ignazio Gardella è quello più studiato, approfondito e completo in termini di schedatura; il fondo dell’architetto Roberto Menghi è meno studiato e parte della documentazione ancora da analizzare; il fondo dell’architetto Luigi Vietti, l’ultimo in ordine temporale ad essere stato acquisito vista anche la vastità, è quello meno studiato e contiene ancora molto materiale catalogare.
I tre gruppi di ricerca hanno restituito il 15-16 marzo 2019 sotto forma di Convegno internazionale intitolato Lezioni italiane. Gardella Menghi Vietti, lo stato dell’arte delle ricerche in corso.
Sempre nel 2019 il gruppo ha partecipato al bando competitivo ed ottenuto un finanziamento nel progetto YITP – Young Investigator Training Programme di ACRI (Associazioni delle Fondazione e Casse di Risparmio Italiane) proponendo il Convegno internazionale “Lezioni italiane per l’architettura del Mediterraneo. Gardella, Menghi, Vietti” che si terrà il 24-25 novembre 2022 a Parma.
Il finanziamento prevede premi di ricerca individuali a giovani ricercatori stranieri che si uniranno ai gruppi di ricerca italiani proseguendo il lavoro di approfondimento critico sui tre fondi e partecipando con un paper al Convegno Internazionale.
Carlo Quintelli
Full Professor in Architectural and Urban Design is the scientific director of the UAL - Urban & Architectural Laboratory based at the Department of Egineering and Architecture. In 2012-2013 he was scientific coordinator of CCA and CCA2 (LLP-IP) projects obtaining funding. From 2013 to 2017 he was pro-Rector for Building, Infrastructures and Urban Settlement of the University of Parma where he elaborates and promotes the "MASTERCAMPUS strategy" an interdisciplinary applied research (also with funding from POR FESR and Min. Environment) aimed at regenerating and enhancing functionality and the form of the university establishment in the city of Parma within a European context of comparison (www.mastercampus.it). His pubblications include: The Abbey archive museum laboratory. An architectural project for the CSAC (Il Poligrafo, Padua 2018); What do we mean by Food Valley? (FAEdizioni, Parma 2011); The Church of San Luca (FAEdizioni, Parma 2011).
Carlo Gandolfi
Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Parma since 2013, Carlo Gandolfi focuses his research on the relationship between tectonics and architectural figure, in particular on the relationship between collective building and urban open space in the contemporary city. His studies are focused, in particular on the figure and work of the Brazilian architect Pritzker Prize Paulo Mendes da Rocha. He published books, internationally reviewed, as: Matter of Space. City and architecture in Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Accademia University Press, Torino 2018), Il padiglione come tema. Prove di progetto per Parma (Maggioli, Sant’arcangelo, 2018). He has translated, edited and written the afterword for Motion, émotions by Jacques Gubler. In 2005 he founded "bunker" in Milan, a research office on design and on urban space, with which he developed important projects on the city, among which, the important regeneration project 'Mare Culturale Urbano', a cultural and artistic production center in the suburbs of Milan.
Enrico Prandi
Associate Professor in Architectural and Urban Design, at the Department of Egineering and Architecture. Since 2010 he has been Erasmus + delegate for Architecture courses and in 2018-2021 he has been coordinator of the Parma research group in the ArcheA project. He is director of the Festival of Architecture, that organizes events (exhibitions, conferences, seminars, etc.) for the dissemination of architectural and urban culture. He is Director of the Open Access Scientific e-Journal FAMagazine. Research and Projects on Architecture and City (ISSN: 2039-0491, Scopus and WoS indexed, www.famagazine.it), Placement and Internationalisation experts, Urban Design Expert. His pubblications include: Mapping Urban Space. Designing the European City (Routledge, NewYork-London 2021), L’architettura della città lineare (FrancoAngeli, Milan 2016); "The Architectural Project in European Schools" (in European City Architecture, FAEdizioni, Parma 2012); Mantova. Saggio sull'architettura (FAEdizioni, Parma 2005).