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international architectural style of the 1920s; its Italian form, often associated with fascism, incor-
porates linear styles and classical references
rationalism
relief
the projection of a design from a flat surface
European revival of art and architecture based on classical precedents between the 14th and 16th
centuries
Renaissance
rococo
ornate 18th-century style of architecture
stucco
wall plaster used for decorative purposes
trompe l'œil
a visual illusion tricking the viewer into seeing a painted object as a three-dimensional image
in a cross-shaped church, the two parts that bisect the nave at right angles, forming the short arms
of the cross
transept
Fuksas, Fendi & the Future
Born in Rome in 1944, Massimiliano Fuksas is known for his futuristic vision and while
he has no signature building as such, his design for the Centro Congressi Italia, aka the
Nuvola, comes as close as any to embodying his style. A rectangular 30m-high glass shell
containing a 3500-sq-metre steel-and-Teflon cloud supported by steel ribs and suspended
over a vast conference hall, its look is fearlessly modern. Yet it's not without its references
to the past: in both scale and form it owes its inspiration to the 1930s rationalist architec-
ture that surrounds it.
At the time of writing, construction of the Nuvola was moving towards completion as
the curtain was going up on another Fuksas project. Crowning what is due to be a new
flagship Benetton store on Via del Corso, the Lanterna is a low-lying irregularly shaped
glass cupola that adds a decidedly contemporary touch to Rome's classical roof-scape.
In another fashion-funded initiative, the prize-winning French architect Jean Nouvel
has been appointed to work on a contemporary arts centre for the Fondazione Alda Fendi.
The centre, to be housed in an abandoned casa popolare - a fascist-era housing block - in
the Forum Boarium area, will contain a museum, exhibition space, shops, restaurants and
artists' studios. Work is due for completion in 2014.
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