“Modernity is rarely associated with ruins. In our everyday comprehension, ruins rather bring to mind ancient and enchanted monumental structures; an archaeological dream world featuring celebrities such as Machu Picchu, Pompeii and Angkor Wat. Yet never have so many ruins been produced, so many sites abandoned”
In recent years, the aestehtic quality of ruins has become a much discussed topic, along with the parameters with which we separate ruin from debris. Vacant structures are omnipresent, littering street corners, a constant and quiet presence in the urban fabrics in which we lead our daily lives. But is everything that is abandoned a ruin? This research started as a means to answer this question, looking at the importance and relevance of abandoned 20th century architecture throughout the Italian peninsula. It concentrates on unusual, subversive architecture, praised at the time of its construction as architecturally revolutionary. Under the supervision of Simon Withers, this thesis created an itinerary through the unconventional 20th century ruins in Italy, exploring the reasons for their failure and setting up a framework to recognise the architectural importance of certain structures, avoiding the failures which saw many buildings before them fall into disuse.
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