White Whale: The Aquarium and Reptile House at the Turin Zoo and the Architecture of Enzo Venturelli (1955–1965)

In Enzo Venturelli’s architectural oeuvre, the relationship between his overlooked built work and his better known drawn and written production is problematic and currently under-studied. Venturelli’s design of the acquario-rettilario (aquarium and reptile house) (1958–60) for the Turin Zoo appeared...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Architectural Histories
Main Author: Astengo, Gregorio
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Ubiquity Press 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journal.eahn.org/jms/article/view/341
https://doi.org/10.5334/ah.341
Description
Summary:In Enzo Venturelli’s architectural oeuvre, the relationship between his overlooked built work and his better known drawn and written production is problematic and currently under-studied. Venturelli’s design of the acquario-rettilario (aquarium and reptile house) (1958–60) for the Turin Zoo appeared midway through his career, part of the architectural milieu of the mid-1950s in which the zoo itself was conceived. This article analyses the building’s history and design within the context of Venturelli’s writings, projects, exhibitions and contacts with artists and architects between the late 1950s and early 1960s. The acquario-rettilario constitutes a significant case for reconsidering Venturelli as both a radical architectural theoretician and a practising building designer.