Heating plant and main controls cabin, Florence
Encyclopedia
The Heating plant and Main controls cabin is a technical facilities building in Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station designed by architect Angiolo Mazzoni
in 1929. The complex is recognized as one of the masterpiece of Futurist architecture
.
. The heating plant was part of a bigger plan that included the Post Office in via Alamanni, the recreational club for state railways workers, the Squadra Rialzo building and the overpass on viale Umberto I
(today viale Fratelli Rosselli
).
The heating plant was designed to house four boilerplates for the new station central heating system; the main controls cabin primary purpose was to house railroad switch
es control tower
.
The heating plant was officially commissioned to Mazzoni in 1929, later he was also charged with the main controls cabin, so in a second time he worked to a solution to join the two blocks. The project was approved on 9 February 1932 with a decree by Costanzo Ciano
, minister of postal and telegraph services, as a correlated work for the new station with the a 11.500.000 £
budget.
In 1933 Mazzoni obtained second place at the competition for the Santa Maria Novella station, equally with Sot-Sass, Ferrati and Pascoletti. The competition was won by Gruppo Toscano (Tuscan Group) (Giovanni Michelucci
and Italo Gamberini the notable members).
The same year, 4 july, the heating plant and main controls cabin construction was contracted to Bianchi Gabriello & Figli building firm the 1933, to bo complete two years later, the 15 June, a little before the new railway station.
The iron works: the four boilerplates (with vertical water tubes
and three drums) and their chimneys ("Prat" type), the catwalk above them and the helix
stairs was contracted to Anonima Pignone in February 1934.
The complex presents. two main blocks:
These two main buildings are joined and completed with three other blocks:
The complex structure is in reinforced concrete
(frame type) with different types of brik
s cladding and truss. The retaining wall on rail side, with the rise of 5,20 m between the street floor and rail floor, is made on stones, tapered with a foundation 2 meters.
La connotazione formale, con richiami e citazioni mutuati dalle esperienze futuriste e costruttiviste, si affida sostanzialmente alla aperta e immediata dichiarazione delle funzioni tecnologiche svolgentesi all'interno.
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
, who already praised another Mazzoni work Littoria
's Post Office, enthusiastically appreciated the "avant-garde" formalism and especially admired the iron spiral stairs that becomes a catwalk to reach the chimneys, becoming an elegant promenade dangling in space; the stairs and the catwalk give agility to the whole buiding, remembering some flighty and elastic musics by Debussy
.
Also was sharply bashed, defined as an hideous booth painted in red, and only from the 1970s
the project has been reviewed in the general reevalutation of Mazzoni's work.
The revaluation started with Carlo Severati, who written some articles in charge of Bruno Zevi
in 1975, and with Alfredo Forti, who written a Mazzoni's biography in 1978. Also architect Léon Krier
, in the same year, described the heating plant as "the greatest masterpiece of Futurist-Constructivist-Modernist architecture".
After this revalutation, the complex has been defined as: The other gem that can match, on the level of quality, against the coeval train station.
Angiolo Mazzoni
Angiolo Mazzoni was a prolific state architect and engineer of the Italian Fascist government of the 1920s and 1930s.Mazzoni designed hundreds of public buildings, post offices and train stations during the Interwar period in Italy...
in 1929. The complex is recognized as one of the masterpiece of Futurist architecture
Futurist architecture
Futurist architecture is an early-20th century form of architecture characterized by anti-historicism and long horizontal lines suggesting speed, motion and urgency. Technology and even violence were among the themes of the Futurists. The movement was founded by the poet Filippo Tommaso...
.
History
The heating plant and main controls cabin of Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station, like others support buildings, were planned between 1927 and 1929, before the construction of the new station (which began in 1933). At that time Mazzoni was assigned to Projects and Construction division of the Ferrovie dello Stato (Italian State Railways)Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
. The heating plant was part of a bigger plan that included the Post Office in via Alamanni, the recreational club for state railways workers, the Squadra Rialzo building and the overpass on viale Umberto I
Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I or Humbert I , nicknamed the Good , was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. He was deeply loathed in far-left circles, especially among anarchists, because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan...
(today viale Fratelli Rosselli
Carlo Rosselli
Carlo Rosselli was an Italian political leader, journalist, historian and anti-fascist activist, first in Italy then abroad...
).
The heating plant was designed to house four boilerplates for the new station central heating system; the main controls cabin primary purpose was to house railroad switch
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
es control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
.
The heating plant was officially commissioned to Mazzoni in 1929, later he was also charged with the main controls cabin, so in a second time he worked to a solution to join the two blocks. The project was approved on 9 February 1932 with a decree by Costanzo Ciano
Costanzo Ciano
Costanzo Ciano, 1st Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian naval commander and politician. He was the father of Galeazzo Ciano....
, minister of postal and telegraph services, as a correlated work for the new station with the a 11.500.000 £
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
budget.
In 1933 Mazzoni obtained second place at the competition for the Santa Maria Novella station, equally with Sot-Sass, Ferrati and Pascoletti. The competition was won by Gruppo Toscano (Tuscan Group) (Giovanni Michelucci
Giovanni Michelucci
Giovanni Michelucci was an Italian architect, urban planner and engraver. He was one of the major Italian architects of the 20th century, known for notable projects such as the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station and the San Giovanni Battista church on the Autostrada del Sole....
and Italo Gamberini the notable members).
The same year, 4 july, the heating plant and main controls cabin construction was contracted to Bianchi Gabriello & Figli building firm the 1933, to bo complete two years later, the 15 June, a little before the new railway station.
The iron works: the four boilerplates (with vertical water tubes
Water-tube boiler
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...
and three drums) and their chimneys ("Prat" type), the catwalk above them and the helix
Helix
A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
stairs was contracted to Anonima Pignone in February 1934.
Design
The complex of the heating plant and the main controls cabin is placed along via della Ghiacciaia, at the corner with via della Cittadella. On the other side it overlooks directly the rails, placed a floor up to the roadway.The complex presents. two main blocks:
- The heating plant: at the ground floor on via della Ghiacciaia, with two technical rooms, one for the ashes and one for the steam accumulators. On the first floor (at rails level), the boilers room and on the second floor the room with the hoppers to feed the boilers.
- The main controls cabin: with a semicircular head on via della Ghiacciaia, with portholePortholeA porthole is a generally circular, window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. Porthole is actually an abbreviated term for "port hole window"...
windowWindowA window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s on the inner side and the third floor the deckDeck (building)In architecture, a deck is a flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to a floor, but typically constructed outdoors, often elevated from the ground, and usually connected to a building...
with a full-length windows, as a control tower for the rails.
These two main buildings are joined and completed with three other blocks:
- The two floors building at the corner with via della Citadella. On ground floor the offices and the technical rooms with the pumps; offices also on the first floor and on the second floor two apartments.
- The building between the heating plant and the main controls cabin. On ground floor the local for the coal crushers, on the first floor (rail level) the area to dump coal and on the second floor, additional technical rooms.
- This building is completed with a semicircular "hinge", with the stairs, the elevator and a volume with cloakrooms.
The complex structure is in reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
(frame type) with different types of brik
Brik
Brik or Brick is a Tunisian derivative of the börek consisting of thin warka pastry around a filling commonly deep fried. The best-known version is the egg brik, a whole egg in a triangular pastry pocket with chopped onion, tuna, harissa and parsley.Brik pastry is made by slapping a sticky lump...
s cladding and truss. The retaining wall on rail side, with the rise of 5,20 m between the street floor and rail floor, is made on stones, tapered with a foundation 2 meters.
La connotazione formale, con richiami e citazioni mutuati dalle esperienze futuriste e costruttiviste, si affida sostanzialmente alla aperta e immediata dichiarazione delle funzioni tecnologiche svolgentesi all'interno.
Critical reception
Since after the completion the builing aroused vivid admiration and critics, for its technical aspect. Giacomo Devoto defined the main controls cabin, with its 280 levers to manage railswitches and signals: the most perfect, most complex and complete, the most beautiful that exists in Italy and maybe in the World.Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti was an Italian poet and editor, the founder of the Futurist movement, and a fascist ideologue.-Childhood and adolescence:...
, who already praised another Mazzoni work Littoria
Latina, Italy
Latina is the capital of the province of Latina in the Lazio region, in central Italy. , the city has 115,895 inhabitants and is thus the second largest city of the region...
's Post Office, enthusiastically appreciated the "avant-garde" formalism and especially admired the iron spiral stairs that becomes a catwalk to reach the chimneys, becoming an elegant promenade dangling in space; the stairs and the catwalk give agility to the whole buiding, remembering some flighty and elastic musics by Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
.
Also was sharply bashed, defined as an hideous booth painted in red, and only from the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
the project has been reviewed in the general reevalutation of Mazzoni's work.
The revaluation started with Carlo Severati, who written some articles in charge of Bruno Zevi
Bruno Zevi
Bruno Zevi was an Italian architect, historian, professor, curator, author and editor. Zevi was a vocal critic of 'classicising' modern architecture and postmodernism.-University years:...
in 1975, and with Alfredo Forti, who written a Mazzoni's biography in 1978. Also architect Léon Krier
Léon Krier
Léon Krier is an architect, architectural theorist and urban planner. From the late 1970s onwards Krier has been one of the most influential neo-traditional architects and planners...
, in the same year, described the heating plant as "the greatest masterpiece of Futurist-Constructivist-Modernist architecture".
After this revalutation, the complex has been defined as: The other gem that can match, on the level of quality, against the coeval train station.