Made between the 1962 and the 1975, the so-called “Sails of Scampia“, in Naples, are a complex of buildings for residential construction and public utility services, with an architectural and structural conformation that geometrically recalls that of a sail, from which they take their name. The design idea, which aimed at maximizing the use of common spaces and the integration of the community in the central areas of the buildings, materialized the futuristic ideas of architect Di Salvoarchitectural designer of the complex. However, some changes to the original project and some choices made over the years have radically affected the final result, mainly in a negative way, as can be seen from the latest tragic news events. In this article we retrace the Project history and the variations made from an architectural and structural point of view.
The architecture and engineering of the Vele di Scampia
The Vele di Scampia residential complex was born from the design ideas of the Architect Francis (Franz) DiSalvoaround the 70s, as a materialization of the urban structure representing the concept of city-building, where social and private activity is “mixed” in the same places.
The project was developed on two separate lotscalled THE and M. In the first (L) they had to arise 3 buildingswhile in the second (M) others 5for a total of 8 independent structural units. The design height of the buildings was variable, because it architecturally recalled the profile of a sail, considered for a maximum value of 40 m. The distance between the adjacent buildings, which created a communication corridor between the structuresit had to be about 11 mThe structures, designed by the well-known engineer. Richard Morandialready known at the time for the construction of the Polcevera viaduct, were designed in prefabricated reinforced concrete and with a so-called “easel“: the structural scheme was certainly daring but already sufficiently tested by Morandi himself in other contexts. The same allowed for maximize internal free spaceswithout having repetitive reinforced concrete elements in the central areas and thus guaranteeing expressive freedom to the architecture of the complex.
The overall result of the planned work included approximately 1200 accommodations and the possibility of hosting approximately 6500 peopleThe project included not only housing, but also equipment and servicesgreen areas connected by a series of pedestrian paths and a series of centers scholastic, religious, commercial, cultural and health.
As mentioned before, the project was ambitious and radically abandoned the idea of condominiumto replace it with a broader vision that had broad strands of communication with public bodies and with the development of society in general.
Subsequent changes
Upon completion, only 7 of the 8 buildings designed were actually built. The same have undergone various changes under constructionunfortunately such as not to bring improvements to the project idea as a whole, indeed worsening it in some cases.
Among the most important changes from the point of view of the geometric conformation, the one that certainly stands out is the distance between the buildingswhich was reduced from 10.80m to 8.42mThis difference, of about 2 meters, will result in major problems of habitability of the central internal spacesas well as a non-optimal one distribution of sunlight in the interior spaces. From a structural point of view, moreover, the technical scheme proposed by Morandi was abandonedto make room for a most ordinary and simple structural systemalthough more architecturally binding and heavy to look at. A reinforced concrete frame structure will be created with vertical elements that take up a lot of space in the plan. The presence of additional structural elements will therefore lead to a new architectural identification of interior spaceswhich will culminate in a ineffective variation of the architectural projectincreasingly distant from the initial idea but now forced by the structural scheme in place.
The structural conformation of the single sail therefore leads to a distinction two important buildings with a plan decreasing in height in a discontinuous manner (like a Ziggurat), connected by an intricate network of internal galleries and walkways, distributed at various heights. The central gallery, which extends longitudinally along the entire development of the sail in plan, is punctually connected to the lateral bodies in reinforced concrete, while some flights of stairs and connecting walkways guarantee the use between the floors and along the development of the sail. The final result is a heavy reinforced concrete structure with a variable height conformation to simulate a sail, precisely. A twin structure to this one is placed next to the previous one at a distance of about 8.5m, with punctual connections between the two by means of a system of steel elements, linked to the gigantic perimeter concrete structures.
Why were changes made?
Among the reasons that led to these substantial changes to the structural and architectural project the cost issue must certainly be mentioned. It seems in fact that a first body was completely built according to the initial design idea (i.e. that of Morandi), but at its conclusion it was considered the excessively expensive project and therefore a variant to the executive project was chosen: the pilot building part was therefore demolished.
In cascade, some other conditions that led to the variations of the initial project idea are to be found in the events that occurred around the 80s:
- Still in the final stages of the works (not all services were functioning), Many of the accommodations were pre-assigned from the Municipality of Naples, which was under pressure from a strong social pressure.
- Furthermore, in the same year, the Irpino-Campano earthquake generated a whole series of occupations, abusive and otherwise, which intensified in the following years with the creation of new illegal housing in the porticoed floors.
- None of the works of public interest were therefore carried out and this, in turn, contributed to the radical transformation of the initial project idea.
Demolitions and the ReStart project
The conditions of degradation and lack of appropriate maintenance strategies bring the Vele complex into a increasing state of abandonment, social and technical. In 1997, after years of deliberations and approvals of recovery plans, one of the 7 Sails was demolished, followed in 2000 by a second and in 2003 by a third. In 2014 the most ambitious project officially started, ReStart: the project aims to complete and implement the redevelopment strategy for the northern outskirts of the citywhich started with the demolition of the first Vela. The demolition of other buildings and the redevelopment of the so-called Vela Celeste, the one that was the subject of the recent tragic news events, are planned, as well as the construction of new buildings and new areas of public utility. The project funding is equal to 159 million euros and is also based on PNRR funds. It is developed in 3 phases, with an estimated completion in 2027.
