The Sant’Elia kindergarten in Como: structural behaviour and the issue of durability

Giuseppe Terragni’s Sant’Elia Kindergarten offers a good opportunity to examine in greater depth the disputed issue of modern buildings’ “impermanence”. This paper aims to plot the salient phases in the complicated process of the building’s construction and to outline the material history of the kindergarten. The reinforced concrete structure of the kindergarten is completed by non-load-bearing walls which define the volumes and interior spaces; however, since construction some of these walls have shown signs of cracking due to land subsidence. These manifestations of structural instability continued over time, making various programs of interventions necessary: demolition and reconstruction of different parts and the repair of the construction framework. The paper will describe the extent and importance of these interventions, suggesting how, though they have apparently not altered the building’s form, they have resulted in major changes to its material components.