BREAKING BARRIERS
Gianca lo De Ca lo om CIAM o ILAUD
Lo enzo G ieco
Uni e si à degli S udi di Roma To Ve ga a / Uni e si y o Rome To Ve ga a, Rome, I aly
Abs ac
A e Wo ld Wa II, he in lexibili y cha ac e izing he i s CIAM cong esses soon become
unsus ainable, p o oking he c i icism o Team 10, ac i e om 1953 o a e o m o he
cong ess. The pa icipa ed discou se o he g oup, “conside ing he cha ac e is ics o
socie y and indi iduals”, would be inhe i ed, yea s la e , by he In e na ional Labo a o y
o A chi ec u e and U ban Design (ILAUD), ounded by Gianca lo De Ca lo in 1976. The
labo a o y, oge he wi h he magazine Spazio e Socie à (1978-2001), called back o De
Ca lo’s ope a i e mili ancy in Team 10, exp essing a b and-new app oach o u ban s udies.
As De Ca lo himsel a i med: “Some messages o Team 10 ha e been ga he ed in ILAUD
[…] bu ILAUD and Team 10 a e di e en hings”. Indeed, he labo a o y s ongly pushed
on he dimension o he p ojec and on he s uden s’ collec i e con ibu ion. The p ojec
was no mo e an end poin bu became he ool h ough which e e y possible solu ion o
he p oblem could be es ed. Cou ses a ILAUD we e gi en by in e na ional p o essionals
like Aldo Van Eyck, Pe e Smi hson, Renzo Piano, S e e Fehn and Balk ishna Vi haldas
Doshi, some al eady in Team 10. The labo a o y o med many young s uden s, and se e al
would ha e become in e na ionally- ecognized p o essionals -e.g. E ic Mi alles, Ca me
Pinos, San iago Cala a a, Ma io Cucinella-. The pape wan s o conside he con ibu ion
o ILAUD o u ban s udies and didac ics h ough he examina ion o he ich ma e ial
(annual publica ions, pos e s, p ojec s, pho os, e c.) collec ed in he a chi e o he
Biblio eca Pole i in Modena. The aim is o poin ou how ILAUD ep esen ed a u ning poin
in he o ma ion o he pos -CIAM gene a ion and a ce ain e e ence o he a chi ec u al
p ac ices o he XXI cen u y.
Keywo ds: CIAM; Gianca lo De Ca lo; ILAUD; Spazio e Socie à; Team 10.
Lo enzo G ieco, B eaking Ba ie s. Gianca lo De Ca lo om CIAM o ILAUD
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The yea 2019 ma ks he cen ennial o he bi h o Gianca lo De Ca lo (1919-
2005)1. Among he mos in luen ial igu es in he pano ama o I alian a chi ec u al
cul u e, De Ca lo a ended he las Cong ès in e na ionaux d'a chi ec u e mode ne
and led he In e na ional Labo a o y o A chi ec u e and U ban Design (ILAUD), a
pionee ing in e na ional cou se in a chi ec u e, ill his dea h in 2005. While
s a ing a new discou se on euse and si e-speci ic in a chi ec u e, he expe imen
o ILAUD p esen ed a new app oach o didac ics and, wi h i s in e na ional appeal,
an icipa ed he la e success o s uden exchange p og ams2.
This pape aims a ou lining he heo e ical, poli ical, didac ical and p o essional
s imuli which con ibu ed o he cons uc ion o ILAUD, ancho ing i s o igin o he
expe iences and he c i icism o De Ca lo wi hin he con ex o CIAM. Su ely
in luenced by he in e na ional dialogue o he cong esses, he p og am o he
labo a o y del ed deepe in o he hin s o he objec ions o he CIAM ’59 and
humanis ically os e ed he connec ion be ween he u ban p ojec and i s speci ic
cul u al con ex .
Figu e 1. Gianca lo De Ca lo in U bino du ing he ILAUD
Residen ial Cou se 1981. U bino, Facol à di Magis e o.
1 On his occasion he Associa ion o A chi ec s o Milan will open he exhibi ion “Gianca lo De Ca lo e l’ILAUD:
una on ie a mobile” (May-Decembe 2019).
2 The E asmus p og am would ha e been c ea ed in 1987.
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Al hough De Ca lo’s con ibu ion o CIAM has al eady been indaga ed la gely
(Molina i, 2003; Tuscano, 2003; Heu el & Risselada, 2005; Vido o, 2006), ew
lines a e he e eques ed o he sake o comple eness. No wishing o educe he
complexi y o a igu e as mul i ace ed as De Ca lo, i is app op ia e o colloca e
his expe ience wi h CIAM in he con ex o he c i icism o he las Cong ess. I s
p od omes we e al eady palpable du ing he nin h CIAM cong ess in Aix-en-
P o ence (1953), which signed he pa icipa ion o a new gene a ion o a chi ec s,
as Shad ach Woods (1923-1973), Alison Ma ga e Smi hson (1928-1993), Pe e
Denham Smi hson (1923-2003), Aldo an Eyck (1918-1999), Geo ges Candilis
(1913-1995) and Jacob Be end Bakema (1914-1981). They would ga he in he
well-known Team 10, he eam in cha ge o o ganizing he 10 h edi ion o CIAM,
o be held in Dub o nik in 1956. Al eady in 1953, he u u e Team 10 membe s
s a ed o complain abou he blind a ionalis app oach o he Cong ess, a guing
ha in CIAM he ision o he ci y had los i s human dimension. The opposi ion
o he g oup unde lined he necessi y o a new momen o sel -c i icism o CIAM.
The demand o a enewal b ough he cong ess sec e a y Sig ied Gieidon (1888-
1968) o ask council membe s o p esen a young a chi ec om hei own Coun y
o be in oduced in he deba e.
In esponse, E nes o Na han Roge s (1909-1969) and Lodo ico Ba biano di
Belgiojoso (1909-2004) o I alian o ice B.B.P.R., in cha ge o he I alian eam,
decided o b ing he young Gianca lo De Ca lo o he 1955 mee ing, despi e
knowing his objec ions o he in ansigen ac ion o he Mode n Mo emen .
Indeed, as edi o -in-chie (1953-1965) o Casabella Con inui à, Roge s had
al eady in i ed De Ca lo o w i e on he magazine, whe e he young a chi ec had
launched a campaign agains o malism in mode n a chi ec u e (De Ca lo, 1953).
His edi o ial line had o cons i u e one o he h ee heo e ical di ec ions o he
publica ion, along wi h he heme o p e ab ica ion, p esen ed by Ma co Zanuso,
and ha o 'con inui y' in a chi ec u e, examined by Roge s (Molina i, 2003, pp.
99-102). The accusa ion o De Ca lo agains o malism was abo e all abou he
de achmen o he Mode n Mo emen om he eedom and he cohe ence o
ci iliza ion, which was ansla ed in o an allega ion o he indi e ence o
a chi ec u e o cul u al and his o ical con ex s. His a icles claimed how op-down
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and u opic p ojec s, once allied in he igh agains academism, had hen los he
con ac wi h he complexi y o he eal wo ld, o e looking he ela ion be ween
humans and hei space.
The posi ion exp essed in he a icles e ealed he una oidable adhe ence o he
young a chi ec o he poli ics o Team 10. In cohe ence wi h his c i icism, in 1957
De Ca lo s epped back om he edi o ial boa d o he magazine. In his le e o
esigna ion he lamen ed he con inui y wi h he Mode n Mo emen in he edi o ial
line p omp ed by Roge s. He ema ked, abo e all, how in I aly ‘ he a i ma ion o
a mode n language is no a all a posi i e esul , since oday e e ybody can use
i : he se ious a chi ec s as he philis ines, and abo e all, he p ope y specula ion,
which inds i com o able, quick and cheap’ (De Ca lo, 1957).
The ision p oposed in Casabella Con inui à o e ed a p elude o he e en
discou se ha De Ca lo b ough a he O e lo cong ess o 1959. In Ne he lands,
a e p esen ing his p ojec o a public housing complex in Ma e a, he summa ized
he his o y o he In e na ional Cong esses3. The excu sus was concluded by he
asse ion ha ‘Ciam had died long ago’, accompanied by he desi e o de elop a
new in e na ional o ganiza ion o keep ali e he deba e on a chi ec u e (Mum o d,
2000, p. 261). The dispu e clea ly exp essed he new wind agi a ing CIAM: he
con as which a ose in O e lo u ned he possibili y o a cease o he cong esses
in o a angible solu ion (Newman, 1961).
Ex inguished he expe ience o CIAM and los he in e na ional b ea h o a e iew
as Casabella Con inui à, De Ca lo ied o ma e ialize his isions in a new o m.
ILAUD would ha e been he occasion o i o happen. In he middle we e he
yea s o he you h p o es . De Ca lo looked wi h a en ion a he new s uden
mo emen s, whose enqui ies ga e new uel o he social heo ies o Team 10. He
hough ha hei eques o a e olu ion in he academic hie a chy had o be
answe ed wi h a change in he ela ion be ween he ci y and he uni e si y. The
heme eme ged in his p ojec s o he uni e si y campuses o U bino (1960-66),
Dublin (1963-64) and Pa ia (1970-76) (Zuddas, 2015). The poli ical basis o hei
3 The p ojec o Ma e a ecei ed he disapp o al o Pe e Smi hson o no ha ing looked back o he genuine
a chi ec u al con ex o he own.
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spa ial esul s was ins ead sugges ed in he pamphle “La Pi amide Ro escia a”
(The O e u ned Py amid), published in Ap il 1968, one mon h be o e he Pa isian
May. In he ex De Ca lo accused he dis ance be ween p o esso s and s uden s
and denounced he impossibili y o he la e s o pa icipa e, decide and discuss
on an ins i u ion which had been c ea ed o hem (De Ca lo, 1968).
Such discon en nou ished he need o build a new ool, a ba ie - ee space: an
ins i u ion ee om o malism, om he na ion-cen ic heo ies on a chi ec u e,
om he s e ile hie a chy o eaching, om he scholas ic negligence owa ds he
human en i onmen . The In e na ional Labo a o y o A chi ec u e and U ban
Design was bo n.
The idea o ILAUD was concei ed by Gianca lo De Ca lo along wi h Ca lo Bo (1911-
2001), ec o o he Uni e si y o U bino om 1947 o his dea h. De Ca lo was he
di ec o , Connie E a Occhialini (1951-) he sec e a y. Among he main sou ces o
inspi a ion he e we e de ini ely he CIAM summe schools (1949-1956), held in
Venice om 1952 o 1956. Thei global discou se consis en ly in luenced he
in e na ional a mosphe e o ILAUD, which in ol ed six a chi ec u e schools in
Eu ope and he USA. A e a long co espondence wi h se e al uni e si ies, he
g oup o six was o med and he ep esen a i es me in Milan in Ap il 1976. The
Milan mee ing was ac ually a ep oduc ion o he o ganizing assemblies o CIAM:
in ha occasion he leading boa d was se up, p oblems we e discussed, and a
inal documen wi h goals was edac ed.
Ac i i ies a ILAUD consis ed o wo p og ams: he Residen ial Cou se, wi h a
du a ion o abou wo mon hs, and he Pe manen Ac i i ies, wo sho pe iods
be o e and a e he esiden ial cou se, used espec i ely o ga he p epa a o y
ma e ials o he design phase and o collec he inal wo ks (Occhialini, 2005).
The me hodological app oach o didac ics encou aged he emo al o he
adi ional di ision be ween s uden s and p o esso s, p omo ing esea ch g oups
whe e ‘e e yone would ha e a ole as a p o agonis , he only dis inc ion being
ha some would be senio , o he junio esea che s’ (1s Residen ial Cou se U bino
1976, om now on Yea book 1976, 1977, p. 6).

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Figu e 2. The mani es o ILAUD
The i s Residen ial Cou se o ILAUD ook place in U bino om 6 Sep embe o
31 Oc obe 1976. In la e yea s he cou se would ha e mo ed o o he ci ies, such
as Siena, San Ma ino and Venice4. Acco ding o he inal ag eemen wi h
uni e si ies, he s uden s a ending he i s edi ion we e indi idua ed by
p o esso s. They came om he Escuela Tecnica Supe io de A qui ec u a o
Ba celona, he Ka holieke Uni e si ei o Leu en, he Massachuse s Ins i u e o
Technology, he Oslo School o A chi ec u e, The Uni e si y o U bino and he
Eidgenossische Technische Hochescule o Zu ich. English was chosen as a common
language o communica ion. The objec i es o he cou se we e summa ized by De
Ca lo in a epo , which was published in he opening o he i s yea book
4 F om 1976 o 1981 he labo a o y was based in U bino, hen om 1981 o 1990 in Siena, om 1992 o 1993 again
in U bino, om 1994 o 1996 in San Ma ino, om 1997 o 2003 in Venice. In ecen yea s, unde he p esidency o
Paolo Cecca elli, ILAUD has o ganized o ma i e e en s in collabo a ion wi h he Uni e si y o Fe a a.
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(Yea book 1976, 1977). The main goals highligh ed by he di ec o we e: he
expe imen a ion o new me hodologies and design echniques; he c ea ion o an
in e na ional ne o con ac s among s uden s and p o esso s; he oppo uni y o
uni e si ies o compa e hei didac ic app oaches; he opening o a channel o
cul u al exchange be ween uni e si ies.
The backg ounds o s uden s, coming om di e se con ex s and o a ious ages,
e lec ed he di e ence among he didac ic me hods o schools, ep esen ing he
exis ing deba e be ween he poli ical du ies and he p o essional compe ences o
a chi ec s. Admi ing ha schools we e usually o ien ed owa ds one o he wo
ex emes and escuing his c i ic owa ds Fo malism, De Ca lo concei ed he
labo a o y as a powe ul machine o b eak he ba ie s be ween hese wo s a ic
on s (Yea book 1976, 1977, p. 9).
In o de o achie e his aim, s uden s we e o be p o ided wi h he igh
ins umen s o de eloping a c i ical consciousness. Magazines, o ins ance, we e
conside ed by De Ca lo a undamen al ool o app ecia e di e en app oaches o
he a chi ec u al p oblem. Tha was he eason why he w o e le e s o he
edi o ial boa ds o in e na ional a chi ec u e magazines asking o some ee
issues o be dona ed o ILAUD. The ai h in w i en ex s, supposed o ep esen
he cu en a chi ec u al deba es, was al eady di used in he cul u al en i onmen
o CIAM. In 1949 “Me on” published he ac s o he CIAM cong ess o Be gamo
(Me on 33/34, July/Augus 1949), while in 1958 he Helsinki g oup o CIAM ga e
li e o a b and-new e iew, “Le Ca é Bleu”. Few yea s a e ins i u ing ILAUD, in
1978, De Ca lo ook he di ec ion o a bilingual I alo-English magazine, “Spazio e
Socie à - Space and Socie y”, which es i ies his in e es in he w i en medium.
(Daidone, 2018)5.
A ILAUD he ecundi y o he pape space was enhanced by he adop ion o he
magazine o ma bo h as a pla o m o sha ed knowledge be ween lec u e s and
as a ame o he inal p esen a ion o s uden wo ks. F om 1977 he Bulle ins
we e p in ed: hey cons i u ed a collec ion o wo k p og ams, p ojec s, esea ches
5 The magazine was bo n in 1975 as he ansla ion o Hen i Le eb e and Ana ol Kopp’s F ench magazine
“Espaces e Socié és”. De Ca lo es a ed he nume a ion and chose o publish new o iginal a icles.
Lo enzo G ieco, B eaking Ba ie s. Gianca lo De Ca lo om CIAM o ILAUD
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and epo s o he s a mee ings which we e sen o lec u e s o keep hem
upda ed on he ac i i ies o he labo a o y6. The Yea books, ins ead, con ained a
mo e de ailed exposi ion o wo ks p oduced du ing he p e ious yea s, combined
wi h discussions on aims and on expe ienced c i icali ies, synopsis o lec u es,
desc ip ions o p og ams and ips. They se ed as an occasion o p omo ion o
ILAUD among uni e si ies, as well as a wi ness o he end p oduc s o he esea ch
g oups. P ojec s we e ep esen ed by d awings, schemes and ex s ealized by
s uden s, some imes oge he wi h membe s o he s a . I he i s Yea book o
he 1976 cou se, published in 1977, was s ill pionee ing, he ollowing issues
al eady showed a mo e s uc u ed o ganiza ion7.
Figu e 3. D awing om Discussion on pa icipa ion and e-
use, by Ma cià Codinachs and En ic Mi alles, om Yea book
1977 (1978), p.127.
6 Bolle ini 1977-2005. Modena, Biblio eca Luigi Pole i, In e na ional Labo a o y o A chi ec u e and U ban Design
A chi e 1975 – 2004, . 1.
7 The index o he i s issue lis ed he ollowing en ies: in oduc ion; design opics; lec u es and con e sa ions;
appendixes. Appendixes included documen s, no es, c i icism, lis o pa icipan s, calenda , p og am, epo and
obse a ions on he Milan mee ing. On he second numbe : in oduc ion, calenda , p esen a ions o schools,
semina s, design wo ks, lec u es.
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Yea books e en a es he names o people in ol ed, since hey con ain o each
yea he lis s o s uden s, pe manen s a and lec u e s. Many ecognized
p o essionals can be ound among hem. Du ing he i s yea among he lec u e s
he e we e Ma io Bo a (1943-), José Mun añola (1940-), Ch is ian No be g-
Schulz (1926-2000), Dol Schnebli (1928-2009) and Be na do Secchi (1934-
2014). In he 1977 edi ion among he isi ing c i ics he e we e Jacob Bakema,
Ludo ico Qua oni (1911-1987) and Pe e Smi hson, among he s uden s he e
we e he p omising Spanish En ic Mi alles (1955-2000), Ca me Pinós (1954-) and
Josep Ma ia Mon ane (1954-). The adi ion o ex e nal a chi ec u e heo is s,
designe s, igu es om he poli ical and ci il socie y, called o lec u e a ILAUD
would ha e con inued h ough he yea s8.
The in i a ion o Bakema and Smi hson o he second esiden ial cou se unde lines
he poli ical deb o ILAUD o he heo ies o Team 10. Bakema spoke abou
“A chi ec u e based on ene gy-lines”, p esen ing his wo ks and illus a ing
objec i es and me hods o his design (Yea book 1977, 1978, p. 154-155). Pe e
Smi hson, o his pa , deal wi h “Risking mo e o he u u e: some u he
hough s on connec ion; conce ning na a i e and change o o ganiza ional base”.
The p esence o his o y, embodied in mas e pieces o a chi ec u e and a , such
as he Flagella ion o Pie o della F ancesca, was o he English a chi ec he
occasion o a deepe e lec ion on connec ions, ying o in use “bo h o mal and
na a i e connec ion om he classical pas in o he indus ial p esen ” (Yea book
1977, 1978 p. 163). The yea 1977 ma ked he i s o a long se ies o lessons
ha Pe e Smi hson ga e a ILAUD; om hen he would pa icipa e e e y yea
wi h a lec u e o his, ac ualizing he discou se o Team 10 (Occhialini 2016). He
alked o di e en hemes, whose eccen ici y can only be e oked by some o he
8 Many ecognized p o essionals we e in i ed. Among hem he e we e: in 1978 Geo ge Candilis, Ca lo Doglio and
José Ma ía Ga cía de Pa edes; in 1979 F ancesco Dal Co, S e e Fehn, Renzo Piano, San iago Cala a a and
Aldo Van Eyck; in 1980 Leona do Bene olo, He man He zbe ge and Ma io Manie i-Elia; in 1981 Cha les Moo e;
in 1982 he physicis Giuliano To aldo di F ancia; in 1983 Ralph E skine; in 1984 Edoa do Ben enu o and Lucien
K oll; in 1985 F ançois Chaslin, José Ma ía Ga cía de Pa edes, Lucien K oll, Renzo Piano and Migueal Angel
Roca; in 1986 Gae Aulen i, Reima Pie ilä and Man edo Ta u i; in 1987 Balk ishna Vi haldas Doshi; in 1988 A elie
5, Cha les Moo e and Be na do Secchi; in 1989 William J. R. Cu is, Geo ges Descombes and Aldo Van Eyck; in
1990 He man He zbe ge ; in 1991 Geo ges Descombes and Balk ishna Vi haldas Doshi; in 1992 Neza AlSayyad;
in 1993 Danilo Gue i and Ralph E skine; in 1994 F anco Pu ini and he mayo o Naples An onio Bassolino; in
1995 he an h opologis F anco La Cecla, Colin S ans ield Smi h and Juhani Pallasmaa; in 1996 Raine Mahlamäki;
in 1997 Leona do Bene olo, he as ophysicis F anco Pacini, And ew Todd and Gino Valle; in 1998 he philosophe
and mayo o Venice Massimo Caccia i.