La casa isotermica come patrimonio avito per l’abitare contemporaneo. Avanguardie costruttive e nuovi materiali per l’involucro edilizio.

The XX century represents a crucial period in the technical and performative development of living spaces, as result of the gradual functional separation between the loading structure and building envelope. In fact, the envelope system is opposed to the masonry ‘stereotomy’, as an historical expression of Italian architecture; it become just a ‘non-load’ bearing element with particular performative characteristics. In particular, in Italy, the strong innovative, technical and formal requests find a particular balance, that is expressed in the different forms that characterize the process of architecture modernization in its typological, technological and material aspects, with the experimentation of the ‘isothermal house’. It is synonymous of construction processes rationalization, constructive rapidity, economy and energy efficiency. It becomes a new way to intend the building envelope, capable of combining aesthetic requirements and performative characteristics. The research, through an analysis of the development process of the envelope system, aims to demonstrate how the choice of constructive or material solutions can affect - sometimes significantly - the concept of living.