The color-material relation in the social housing of the early twentieth century in Turin: knowing to protect a fragile value

The heritage of social housing of the early twentieth century in Turin characterizes entire portions of the city and it is very diverse in terms of design solutions – which are innovative and in some cases of considerable value - and building consistency. It differs not only for the typological-functional choices adopted, but especially for the compositions of the façades, played on the close relation between the colors and the materials of the outer surfaces. In most cases this relation is the main element of architectural characterization of these complexes, from the urban scale to the detail scale. The paper aims to emphasize the value of the color-material combination, which is expressed in this built heritage in different ways, ranging from examples in which the decoration is left to the only color or to graffiti, to solutions richly played on the chromatic characteristics and the texture of the materials themselves. This combination, in its various facets, gives the building a unique aesthetic, historical, cultural and technical value, which unfortunately is often not sufficiently appreciated, especially in the redevelopment of these complexes. In this context the two settlements built at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Società Torinese per Abitazioni Popolari and designed by Pietro Fenoglio in Crocetta and Borgo San Paolo districts, represent two exemplary cases. Through a careful analysis of the rhythm of the pattern of the building envelope, the study aims to highlight as the calibrated relation between colors and materials characterizes unequivocally the image of these buildings in the urban scene and as this relation has a well-defined design dignity, because is the result of specific choices of the designer. Recognizing this value - still fragile in its assertion - it is the basic assumption for conscious interventions of restoration, able to preserve the distinctive characters of this widespread heritage, as a legacy of architectural and technical culture of a precise constructive season in Turin.