Una battaglia parzialmente perduta: l’AACAR e la progettazione dei ministeri nell’Italia giolittiana

The story of the construction of the identity of the new Italian state in the “third Rome” has been variously recounted and analysed: in particular, the story of the construction of the main monuments, their history and significance (exemplifying, the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele and the vast literature on it). Less investigated is the history of the construction of the ministries, to which, too, the catalogue of the exhibition on Roma Capitale held in 1985 was devoted, not delving into the theme we develop here, namely, the relationship between AACAR and the new ministries: in 1910 Giolitti established a Commission for the premises of the state offices in Rome, in charge to solve the problem of the buildings in use by the state administrations in Rome. The Peano Commission (named after its president) envisaged the construction of several buildings for ministries and other state activities, managed their financing, through the constituting Special Office of the Civil Engineers for Government Buildings, and oversaw their construction, on the principle of maximum efficiency and economy, completely abandoning the competition method. This position obviously found the fierce opposition of AACAR, in 1908 under the chairmanship of Giulio Magni, who defended the institution of the competition; anyway, when the intention of the Commission became clear, in 1911, the president Gustavo Giovannoni wrote an official letter to the president of the council claiming to architecture the right duty to give shape to these buildings, possibly by way of competitions, albeit without pomp and monumentality. The paper describes this battle, continued by the society with resistance of Giolitti, and eventually the construction of those buildings envisioned by the commission entrusted in the end in a casual and private way to architects joining the society (Pio Piacentini, Giovambattista Milani, Giulio Magni, Manfredo Manfredi, Cesare Bazzani, Garibaldi Burba), but under the strict control of Civil Engineers

Il saggio indaga il rapporto tra l’AACAr (Associazione Artistica far i Cultori dell'Architettura) e i nuovi ministeri costruiti o progettati in età giolittiana.Nel 1910 Giolitti istituisce una “commissione per i locali degli uffici dello stato in in Roma” “ per studiare i provvedimenti atti a risolvere il problema degli edifici in uso alle Amministrazioni dello stato in Roma”: Questa Commissione Peano (dal nome del suo presidente) prevedeva la costruzione di diversi palazzi per ministeri ed altre attività dello stato ne gestiva i finanziamenti e attraverso il costituendo “Ufficio speciale del Genio Civile per gli edifici governativi” ne curava anche la costruzione, col principio della massima efficienza ed economicità, abbandonando completamente il metodo del concorso. A questo metodo si oppose l'Associazione artistica nel rivendicare il ruolo dell'architetto; alla fine membri dell'associazione saranno incaricati della progettazione di questi edifici, ma senza concorso e con un forte controllo dell'ufficio tecnico deputato.