Original name
Tomba Monumentale Brion [Brion Tomb]
Original use
Funerary/Mausoleum
Current use
Funerary/Mausoleum
Architects
Carlo Scarpa
Others
Guido Pietropoli, Carlo Maschietto, Studio Porcinai
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
A series of arches are situated parallel to one another at a distance that allows for covering them with smaller secondary structures such as beams or plates. This type of structure also calls for support elements perpendicular to the arches to avoid the “domino” effect .
The construction of cantilevers creates structures that protrude from their supports without external reinforcements, contrasted with constructions supported at both ends, where the load is distributed between them, like in the case of a beam or a lintel. Formal strategies can be used to improve the structural performance of the cantilever and reduce thicknesses.
A suspended roof refers to the case where the vertical supports do not rest on the ground but hang from a structure above. Steel cables are often used for these supports, since they are only subject to traction forces.
State of Conservation
Description
Carlo Scarpa received the commission from the widow of Giuseppe Brion to build a mausoleum for her husband and other family members in the cemetery of San Vito di Altivole. The chosen location was a 2,000 m2 plot protected from the outside by a perimeter wall that adjoins the old cemetery and the corn fields that surround it. Inside this hortus conclusus, Scarpa created a complete, staged garden in which nothing is left to chance: the careful landscape design is full of sculptural elements, some of them with specific programs (chapels or mausoleums), others associated with the garden design and given allegorical meanings. Paths wind between them and spatial sequences are created, aiming to evoke emotions for visitors and to generate an atmosphere of seclusion that favours introspection.
The material quality of the exposed concrete is one of the key aspects of this project: over time it has reacted with the environment and has been covered with lichen and moss, merging with the living elements that make up the garden. The surface texture differs depending on the position and the material’s exposure to inclement weather or erosion caused by contact with the garden’s ponds and small canals. The concrete is also treated with an extraordinary subtlety, following a sculptural logic more than an architectural one: like jewellery, it is inlaid with metallic and ceramic elements, or it is contrasted with shiny and polished materials. In addition, various concrete elements are articulated with mechanisms that let them move, a truly unique treatment for a material that is almost always associated with a fixed position.
Italy
Via Brioni 28
Veneto 31030 San Vito (altivole)
Commission
1969
Completion
1978