New constructive ‘trends’ for rural villages of southern italy: the case of Borgo Pianelle (Matera)

In the first half of the 20th century, along with the architectural trends of the Modern Movement, in Italy there is growing attention towards the transformation of large estates, often still almost completely unhealthy (especially in Southern Italy), through reclamation processes that led to the development of small local communities. Architects and designers were therefore called to redesign new forms of rural living that could represent the most innovative architectural and construction avant-gardes of the time. Among many examples, the Borgo Pianelle (1954-58), built near the city of Matera (Basilicata), represented a typological and constructive example of how the influence of Italian construction experiments could be applied also in rural areas. The research aims to show the typological, constructive and material richness of those “minor” architectures, that constitute a heritage to be protected and enhanced to transmit to future generations the constructional capacities of ‘Modern’ Italy.