They present themselves as “a small team of passionate architects”. They are Sophie Marie Piccoli, Matteo Soldati and Manuel Orazi and they want to draw attention on the state of conservation of the shelter of the SAP factory in Induno Olona created by the architect Luigi Moretti. Three distant professionals, the architect Piccoli is resident in Induno, the prof Orazi in Macerata and the architect Soldati in Lausanne, but united by a common objective as they explain in a letter:
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Let’s save the shelter of the SAP plant in Induno Olona 4 of 15
«We would like to hereby bring to attention the state of abandonment and degradation in which it is currently located the entrance shelter to the former SAP plant, Società Anonima Pellami, located in Induno Olona. The project was created in 1956 by Luigi Morettione of the most significant architects of the Italian twentieth century, distinguished himself in his time for his original and dynamic style which mainly extended to the cities of Rome and Milan.
The shelter was born historically as totemic element of tangible signaling of the presence of a building of great importance. Made entirely of reinforced concrete, and supported by two shaped pillars, the leaf-shaped shelter has dimensions of approximately 48m in length and 20m in width. The graphic material and the historical slides highlight how originally there were some volumes free from the load-bearing structure placed under the pillars, in which the concierge services and control of the passage towards the building, which is also currently in a state of abandonment, were carried out.
Crossing via Jamoretti, the state of conservation of the area is evident: the thick spontaneous vegetation submerges the area making the shelter inaccessible and invisible.
Of great simplicity and elegance, the shelter not only constitutes a potential landmark on a local scale, as it testifies to the industrial development located around the Olona river, but also represents an extremely peculiar element, in which Moretti’s genius is manifested in his only work in Varese .
The importance of Luigi Moretti in the Italian architectural schedule is witnessed by numerous publications and exhibitions that establish him as a figure of exceptional importance, first of all, the MAXXI Museum in Rome, which in 2010 inaugurated its exhibition program with a monographic retrospective dedicated to him.
The presence of the project in the province of Varese could therefore be proposed to the public as an opportunity to rediscover the local industrial heritage and specifically a long forgotten architectural gem. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to adopt timely precautionary and restoration measures in order to preserve its integrity.
In order to create a space for dialogue and discussion with the various bodies we are organizing a round table to be held in September, in collaboration with the Varese architects’ association. In order to cover the expenses, we have opened a fundraiser that will allow the event to have more guests and a greater impact; Below is the link to contribute and share: https://www.gofundme.com/f/salviamo-la-pensilina-di-luigi-moretti-a-induno-olona?attribution_id=sl:1fbf582f-0968-43e1- b3b3-b410ad3a56fc&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link
