Inflatable structures and ‘new’ plastic material in the democratic design of De Pas D’Urbino Lomazzi studio: archival research for the conservation of the design object and its history

De Pas D’Urbino Lomazzi (DDL) design studio achieved the highest creative and functional out-comes as a result of its long-term relationship with industry and the new materials available in Italy during the post-Second World War economic boom. The CASVA archive (Centro di Alti Studi sulle Arti Visive of the Municipality of Milan), which plays a fundamental role in the history of Italian design and architecture, holds the entire materials of the DDL studio including plans, models, prototypes and photographs. Through a careful comparison using these resources, an oral interview with Paolo Lomazzi as well as valuable original footage shot by the architects, it has been possible to gain an insight into the studio’s processes, allowing us to reflect on their conservation techniques