Alberto Bologna

Sapienza University of Rome | la sapienza · Department of Architecture and Design

This chapter highlights how the Binishell system has evolved to better respond to the challenging task of organising human life inside a space with no orthogonal elements or conventional doors and windows. The chapter describes how the limits of the original Binishell patent became a source of inspiration for Bini and led to the development of othe...

This chapter is dedicated to the invention of the Binishell. It sheds light on the multifaceted figure of the Italian architect Dante Bini, who is an inventor, a designer, and an adventurous entrepreneur. This chapter also provides the context in which Bini developed his construction systems and illustrates the experimental and empirical nature of...

This chapter uses Nicolò Bini’s explorations to discuss how the concept of construction innovation can unfold in a period in which free-form architecture and even purely virtual designs seem to take priority over tectonics and the material and performative aspects of buildings. The chapter primarily focuses on a villa in Malibu that Nicolò designed...

This chapter focuses on the concepts of modularity and standardisation in relation to the design of Binishells. It begins by illustrating projects in which modular Binishell structures have been repeated to create assemblies of buildings that affect and interact with the design of the surrounding landscape. The geometric intersection of Binishells...

This chapter constructs a theoretical narrative through which the Binishell can be interpreted as a new archetypal hut in structural art. The archetypal hut can be defined as a natural and pragmatic response to the human need for shelter: the perfect synthesis between architectural and structural form and its construction. Similarly, the Binishell...

The Binishell system uses an airtight pneumatic membrane to erect a concrete shell, creating an impenetrable fortress that literally has to be “broken” to be accessed and used. The chapter concentrates on the compositional aspects of designing openings in Binishell structures. Openings are clustered into two categories: those that are created at th...

This book reviews Dante Bini’s inventions and designs, focusing on his form-resistant Binishell and other pneumatic construction systems. Dante Bini’s double profile of architect and builder underpins the narrative of the entire book. It is used to analyse the evolution of the early reinforced-concrete Binishell patent into a variety of automated c...

Abbiamo intervistato Dante Bini, in occasione dei suoi 90 anni, per discutere delle sue invenzioni e di come il suo lavoro di ricerca sui sistemi di automazione per la costruzione di gusci sottili in calcestruzzo armato possa influenzare future ricerche per lo sviluppo di modi di progettare e realizzare edifici “sostenibili”.

This paper aims to review Dante Bini’s career, as well as his form-resistant Binishell and other pneumatic construction systems. The role of Mario Salvadori in Bini’s international success works as the introduction to a broader discussion about the relationship between innovation in design and innovation in construction for shell and gridshell desi...

The Italian architect Dante Bini began his studies on shell structures during the 1960s. He developed and refined a form-finding and construction technique to erect a finished large-span reinforced concrete (RC) shell structure through the use of an inflatable membrane. This system was patented in 1964 under the name ‘Binishell’ and, over the follo...

The design themes focus on the renovation, reuse and re-utilization of old and valuable buildings, now in disuse, and the rethinking of public places to be integrated into the urban context, now partly in ruins and without an active identity to enhance the past of the town. The summer school will explore the possibilities of conscious interventions...

The construction of concrete shells has always been a difficult and expensive procedure. Preparation of complex formworks, as well as placement of curved reinforcing rods require experience and increase the overall cost. Building concrete shells is even more of concern within the Australian context, where the use of simple and rapid technologies ha...

Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979) is the most famous Italian engineer from the twentieth century. In 1952, having reached the peak of his career as a designer and entrepreneur in Italy, Nervi decided to enter the academic and professional world in the United States. Thus he undertook a path that would lead him to achieve fame in America: he promoted the...