Carpenter’s Parametrics: Economics, Efficiency, and Form in Pier Luigi Nervi’s Concrete Designs

Pier Luigi Nervi's work is typically seen in terms of its performance and expression, but the role of fabrication and construction in his designs has rarely been fully acknowledged. Nervi practiced in a time of intense economic growth in Italy, but the national construction industry faced shortages of labor, steel, and skill as the country boomed. As a result, Nervi's projects often faced intense economic and schedule pressure, which forced him to use economical materials and efficient forming techniques. Rather than limiting expression, these constraints contributed to the resulting structures' visual appeal, as patterns and algorithms based in construction matched the forms and geometry of ideal structural shapes.