ABSTRACT
When the Tor di Valle Racetrack (arch. J. Lafuente, eng. G. Rebecchini, arch. A. Birago, eng. C. Benedetti) was designed, the use of the hyperbolic paraboloid (hypar) in reinforced concrete structures was no novelty. Furthermore, the interesting properties that make it suitable for the construction of vaults were already well-known, together with its versatility in the most varied combinations with other analogous surfaces, able to create particularly suggestive building structures. While the Tor di Valle Racetrack, constructed between 1955–59, belongs to an advanced phase of experimentation with thin shell-shaped structures, it also represents a unique case in the architectural production matured prior to this period by its designers. Moreover, it was highly original in the Italian panorama of those years.
