Architecture Beyond the Cupola: Inventions and Designs of Dante Bini

Description

This book reviews Dante Bini’s inventions and designs, focusing on his form-resistant Binishell and other pneumatic construction systems. Dante Bini’s double profile of architect and builder underpins the narrative of the entire book. It is used to analyse the evolution of the early reinforced-concrete Binishell patent into a variety of automated construction systems based on the use of air. Dante Bini has always been quite proactive in promoting his work and disseminating the results of his experimentations and achievements via journal articles, conference presentations and public talks; promotional brochures in multiple languages were also prepared to export and license his patents in various countries, from Italy to the Americas and Australia. Despite this, a rigorous study of Dante Bini’s work is still unavailable, and the relevance of this figure to contemporary architecture has yet to be discussed comprehensively. This book fills in this gap and arrives at the right time: during the last two decades, there has been an exponential interest in shell and spatial structures, particularly concerning the use of complex geometries and innovative construction techniques. This book will be of interest to academics in architectural design, theory and construction history, and practitioners and students interested in expanding their knowledge in the design and construction of shell and spatial structures. Preface Acknowledgements Book Images Authors’ Contributions Contents About the Authors 1 The Invention of the Binishell 1.1 The Man Who Built Domes 1.2 At the Roots of the Binishell System 1.3 Constructive Pragmatism and Empirical Experimentation 1.4 Bini’s Architectural Formalisms 1.5 Compositional Implications 2 A New Archetypal Hut in Structural Art 2.1 The Dichotomy Between Dome and Cupola in Architectural Theory 2.2 The Binishell System as a Design Tool 2.3 A Shelter Par Excellence 2.4 Monolithism as a Point of Strength 3 Beyond the “Cubic Prison” 3.1 The Binishell is Nonsense 3.2 To Circle, or Not to Circle 3.3 An Italian Design Culture of Circular Housing 3.4 Squaring the Circle 3.5 The Path to the Minishell and the Pack-Home Systems 3.6 The Shape of Things to Come 4 Open, Sesame: Cuts and Openings 4.1 The Challenges of Puncturing a Binishell 4.2 Form-Finding Methods and Shell Openings 4.3 How to Cut a Binishell 4.3.1 Direct Lighting 4.3.2 Indirect Lighting 4.4 The Connection to the Ground 4.4.1 Concealing the Connection to the Ground 4.4.2 The Binishell Sinks into the Ground 4.4.3 Underground Binishells 4.4.4 The Binishell Flies 4.4.5 The Binishell on a Sloping Site 4.5 The Shape and Size of Openings 4.6 Generating the Openings During Inflation 5 Lunar Bases on Earth: Intersections and Repetitions 5.1 Issues and Opportunities with Modular Structures 5.1.1 Identity and Diversity 5.1.2 Flexibility and Adaptation 5.1.3 Structural Rationality and Simplicity 5.2 Repeating Binishells 5.2.1 From the Casa Cupoletta to Holiday Resorts 5.2.2 A Landscape of Binishells 5.3 The Building and the Mushroom Field 5.3.1 Binishells, Galleries and Arcades 5.3.2 Binishells and Courtyards 5.4 Intersecting Binishells 5.5 Construction Automation Meets Digital Design 6 Dante Bini’s Legacy Beyond the Cupola 6.1 Construction Innovation in a World of Free-Form Architecture 6.2 Nicolò Bini’s BLOBs 6.3 A Villa in Malibu 6.4 The Tectonics of BLOBs References Index of Names Index of Buildings and Places