The paper focuses on the hydroelectric plants in Friuli Venezia Giulia,
especially those along the Cellina and Meduna rivers. The technological
revolution of water exploitation to produce electricity led to the construction
of these buildings between the 19th and 20th centuries; their different
structural, technical, architectural, and engineering features became interesting
case studies for such industrial heritage. The research analyzed the
main features of the power plants built along the Cellina (Malnisio, Giais,
Partidor, and San Foca) and Meduna (Meduno, Colle, Istrago, Chievolis,
and Valina) rivers, from an architectural, formal, functional, and constructive
point of view. The study of these iconic buildings, one infrastructure
system related to the “waterways”, allows them to be placed within the
logic of settlement and production phenomena, and by reinterpreting them
in a modern key makes possible refurbishment strategies with actualized
needs and functions.
