Structural and historical assessment of a modern heritage masterpiece: "Palazzo del Lavoro" in Turin

A structural and historical assessment study on "Palazzo del Lavoro", a modern heritage building in Turin, designed by Pier Luigi Nervi in 1959, was carried out within a National Research Project focused on the correlations between the leading engineering and architectural activities in Italy during the 1950s and 1960s. Based on the original design documentation collected through records research, a complete finite element model of the building was generated, along with detailed models of its main structural members, represented by monumental reinforced concrete columns, a mushroom-type steel roof, and reinforced concrete ribbed gallery slabs. The results of the linear and non-linear analyses developed by these models, aimed at fully understanding the original design concept of the various members, as well as at evaluating their current static and seismic safety conditions, are summarized in the paper. Retrofit hypotheses are also proposed for the steel roof beams and the cantilever elements of the gallery floors, which did not meet some of the structural requirements. © 2011 WIT Press.