Italian Rationalism Architecture

Italian Rationalism was a modern architectural movement active in Italy from the 1920s through the 1940s, developing largely under the Fascist government of the period. Founded in spirit by the group Gruppo 7, formed in 1926 by seven young architects including Giuseppe Terragni, Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini, it argued for a close association between logic and rationality rather than a break with tradition, seeking pure geometric forms and strong, unornamented design that made a building's rational structure visible. Terragni's Casa del Fascio in Como, built between 1932 and 1936, the Palazzo Gualino in Turin and the Esposizione Universale Roma district begun in 1936 are its defining works, alongside the University of Rome campus begun in 1932. The movement positioned itself against both 19th century historicism and the expressive ornament of Art Nouveau and Expressionism, favoring monumental but geometrically disciplined design.