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Silvio Galizia: Building in Concrete for the Church

In collaboration with ETH Zurich, Sapienza Università di Roma, and Università degli studi di Roma Tor Vergata

In 2025, Swiss architect Silvio Galizia (Muri, 1925 – Rome, 1989) would have turned 100. Galizia studied architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) in the late 1940s, but spent nearly his entire career in Rome, where he designed numerous spatial structures in reinforced concrete. To mark this centenary, the workshop Silvio Galizia: Building in Concrete for the Church aims to explore the role of structural engineering in post-war Italy and its relationship with ecclesiastical patronage.

The 1950s and 1960s marked a profound transformation in architectural and engineering practices, driven by a search for new structural forms and recent developments in design methods and building materials. In particular, Italian and Swiss architects and engineers were at the forefront of exploring the potential of concrete, celebrated for its strength and versatility. They engaged in collaborations that provided fertile ground for experimentation, moving beyond traditional methods. Shell structures, with their thin profiles and double curvature, spanning wide spaces with minimal material, became emblematic of this period. Pier Luigi Nervi’s ferrocement and Heinz Isler’s form-finding techniques are just two examples that capture the spirit of this era, poised between architecture and engineering, design and construction, Italy and Switzerland.

PROGRAMME:

H16:00 Welcome Coffee

H16:30 Institutional Greetings, Ilyas Azouzi (Istituto Svizzero)

H16:40 Introduction and greetings, Giulia Boller, Laurent Stalder (ETH Zurich)

H17:10-17:40 Silvio Galizia 100, Giovanni Galizia, Corinna Galizia

H17:40-18:45 Building in Concrete for the Church, Tullia Iori (Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata)

H18:45 Aperitivo