Faculty of Engineering - Luigi Cosenza - 1955-72

The Faculty of Engineering in Naples, built between 1955 and 1970, is one of architect Luigi Cozensa's major works. Cozensa also designed the apartments located behind the Faculty of Engineering, which blend seamlessly with the architectural continuity of the faculty itself. Just as the apartments integrate seamlessly with the Faculty of Engineering, the tower of the latter asserts a fully conscious integration, with round and square columns harmoniously blending together. The mosaic on the pediment of the main façade celebrates the progress achieved by man through his labor; this theme was often addressed by fascist ideologists and was often expressed through the construction of monumental buildings.
The Faculty of Engineering blends organic and orthogonal forms. This fusion is directly inspired by morphologies found in nature. Thus, architectural elements such as colonnades blend with the trees, omnipresent in the project, and we find them again in the patio, which creates a truly landscaped atmosphere that blends modernist style with that of the English garden. This combination of organic and orthogonal forms is also perceived in the great tower, which appears perfectly straight but which, thanks to its "pyramidal" shape, soars towards the sky and conveys a sense of infinity. Inside the Faculty of Engineering is an electronic data processing center that represents a true technological masterpiece for its time.