Masonry and its role in the mid-20th century: G area houses in the Le Vallette district of Turin

The paper focuses on the housing complex designed by A. Cavallari Murat and the younger R. Gabetti, A. Isola and G. Raineri (1958–69) for the Ina-Casa public housing district of Le Vallette in Turin. The load-bearing masonry structure initially adopted by the designers, with upward tapered pillars projecting from the façades (a solution which seems to be reminiscent of the work of Alessandro Antonelli), was abandoned during the construction phase in favour of a reinforced concrete one. If this choice had no consequences as regards architectural image, it triggered a process of technological re-elaboration which is interesting to analyze in terms of the various solutions adopted by the four construction companies involved, as concerns both the organization of the load-bearing structure and its relationships with brick cavity walls.