Exhibitions in Italy: an expression of Italian engineering

Exhibitions stimulate innovation in building engineering and construction. But what happens to this general thesis in the presence of a specific construction framework? In this perspective the Italian experience after World War II is interesting. During that time, when Italian construction was characterized by technological backwardness, a school of engineering developed in Italy, the results of which gained international prominence, partly due to a number of spectacular exhibition buildings. This study analyses these circumstances and offers a reading of Italian engineering works related to the theme of exhibitions. Exhibitions provided Italian engineers with the opportunity to work on reinforced concrete structures in particular, establishing original harmony between architecture and structure. These works only partially influenced the evolution of the Italian construction framework. This was due, not only to the lack of industrialization, but also to the exceptionality of architectural forms and the experimental value of the design structure and construction systems.