Mr. D'Olivo

Marcello D'Olivo (Udine 1921 – Udine 1991)

Marcello D'Olivo was an Italian architect, urban planner, and painter. In 1947, he graduated in Architecture from the University of Venice, and thanks to the constant references to the interaction between nature and technology within his projects, his work in architecture and urban planning has been described as "organic experimental." Having returned to live in Udine after numerous moves, D'Olivo arrived in Gorizia in 1987 at the request of the local government and designed a new Slovenian school complex on Via Puccini, completing the project in 1993. The complex, oriented toward the geographic north, is composed of three long rectangular wings arranged in an equilateral triangle open at the corners and connected by suspended walkways. Each of these buildings, intended for different schools, is cut in the center by a transverse volume containing the access ramps. The exterior features, interspersed with floor-to-ceiling yellow windows, a curved prefabricated gray concrete element that serves both as a load-bearing element and a light screen. At the center, the volume houses the gym and auditorium functions.