La responsabilità di tramandare un patrimonio. The responsibility of passing on a heritage

The 20th century was a crucial period for architecture. It produced unprecedented types of building and a variety of languages. And yet in our cities 20th-century works are not adequately cared for. We have regulations drawn up to cover new constructions and the conservation of historic centres, and these are not well-suited to the restoration of buildings not considered old enough, nor sufficiently high-tech. It is not rare to hear proposals for their demolition and reconstruction as this would be “cheaper”. Thus constructions of great quality, with solid structures and finishes of stone, marble, ceramic tiles or classic plastering are being replaced by containers nondescript but “highperformance”. The identity of our urban landscape is under threat from choices based on a highly dubious and sometimes specious vision of what is environmentally sustainable. In this feature Abitare has entrusted the photographers of White Box Studio with the task of presenting some important 20th-century works that are at risk in Milan. The only one of them to be listed for protection, on the basis of the historical-artistic value, is the BBPR’s Torre Velasca. The others might soon disappear or undergo radical alteration. Help in understanding this emergency, and in thinking about solutions, comes from the analysis by the architect Andrea Canziani of the Soprintendenza of Liguria, the lecturer at Politecnico di Milano Orsina Simona Pierini and the advisor to the Architects Association of Milan Vito Redaelli.