ABSTRACT
It is well-known that the use of steel had slow and hampered beginnings in all sectors in Italy, and particularly in the construction industry. Indeed, until the end of the 1950s, the independent steel frame had initially made its appearance in a number of works created more or less as prototypes which, as such, were important and were also valuable in terms of their pioneering contribution; nevertheless, they were insufficient to galvanise the sector into competing with traditional reinforced concrete and masonry construction. In this context, the theme of grand roofs provides important experiments with steel as the protagonist, allowing renowned designers, architects and engineers to create constructions where this material is used as a linguistic tool rather than merely in purely structural and functional terms.
