Società Porcheddu Ing. Giovanni Antonio
Name
Società Porcheddu Ing. Giovanni Antonio
Gender
Not Applicable (General Information Indicator)
Descriptive Note
Giovanni Antonio Porcheddu (Ittiri, SS, June 26, 1860 - Turin October 17, 1937) was the founder of the Società G.A. Porcheddu, the first Italian building company specializing in reinforced concrete.
Porcheddu received a degree in civil engineering from the Regia Scuola di Applicazione per Ingegneri in Turin (today's Politecnico) in 1980 and obtained additional degrees in electrotechnical engineering in 1891 and in industrial engineering in 1892. After working in the administration of Sardinia's mines, he returned to Turin where he opened his building company in 1894. He soon obtained exclusive use of the Hennebique patent for reinforced concrete for Northern and central Italy and became the most important builder of reinforced concrete structures in the country.
Nel 1912 Porcheddu was named "Cavaliere al Merito del Lavoro" for his remarkable accomplishments. Throughout his career, Porcheddu completed more than 2600 projects, including bridges, warehouses, factories, as well as private homes. Among these projects are the Risorgimento Bridge in Rome, the Duca degli Abruzzi Bridge in Turin, the San Marco Campanile in Venice, the FIAT Lingotto complex, and the Palazzo dei Giganti in Genoa, among many others.
For the 1911 Exposition, Porcheddu built the Stadium following the architectural design of Vittorio Eugenio Ballatore di Rosana. The Stadium was the biggest sports complex in the world at the time. Now destroyed, the site of the Stadium hosts the Polytechnic University of Turin.
In addition, for the 1911 Exposition, Porcheddu hosted an exhibit in the Padiglione della Città Moderna (Pavilion of the Modern City) and built the Palazzo del Giornale (Newspaper Pavilion), the only reinforced concrete building of the Exposition.
Selected References
Collezioni Archivistiche Politecnico di Torino: Società Porcheddu Ing. G.A.
Museo Torino: Giovanni Antonio Porcheddu
Re, Daniela. Giovanni Antonio Porcheddu: Biografia ragionata dell'ingegnere del calcestruzzo armato
Roles
Makers, Builders
Related Protagonists
Related Locations
Related Built Environment Objects
Related Archival Material
