GT.09 Tavolo Direttorio. Scale 1:5
design Giuseppe Terragni
A piece of history, the Grande tavolo of the Casa del Fascio, a unique object, impressive even in 1:5 scale. Original was designed by Giuseppe Terragni for the meeting room and produced in a single copy. More than a piece of furniture, it is a continuation of the architecture from which it is inseparable.
in the atrium filled with light,..
on the stairs filled with light,..
in the corridors filled with light,..
on the terrace filled with light…
and came here
around the table
filled with light,..
filled with light,..
filled with light…
It would take days to tell everything. Let’s tell its story rather then brief more like a …
1. The table present today in the current headquarters of the Financial Police in Como (Ex Casa del Fascio of Como) is the original Grande tavolo designed by Giuseppe Terragni. It still stands in the meeting room for which it was designed and has witnessed the rise and fall of Fascism, World War II, the economic boom of the following years, man in space, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the preparation of the manned mission to Mars.
2. The current position of the table is different from the original one due to the changed function of the room. Originally the table was positioned in the center of the room, along the glass wall, so as to be clearly visible from the atrium, in full accordance with the concept of “transparency”, both material and metaphysical. “The federal Directory room on the first floor is diaphragmed from the outside by large windows, and from the inside by a glass wall, so as to make the meeting visible…”
(G. Terragni, The construction of the Casa del Fascio of Como, Quadrant n.35/36, October 1936, Rome)
3. The aesthetic perception of the Grande tavolo is completely altered. The wall with decoration by Mario Radice, which originally bore the portrait of the Duce, must have been at the end. The silhouette of the table had to be read against the glass windows and in combination with tubular metal seats. The seats present today, compared to the original project, are extraneous.
4. Even if the position, function and aesthetic perception of the table today are different, the aforementioned concept of “transparency” remains and, one could say, is almost unaffected by it.
“Glass means condensed and solidified light with metallic cohesion. it is the light that marries the metal.
The technicians identify with offering a plate as hard as steel and transparent as air.”
The revolution of glass, attached to the
Quadrant n.35/36, October 1936, Rome
“Iron is in all the maneuvering devices… it also abounds in the furnishings of the offices… and in the tubular supports of chairs and armchairs.”
G. Terragni, Technical notes,
Quadrant n.35/36, October 1936, Rome
“…the right use of quality materials: table top in rosewood* covered by a single crystal 10 mm thick…”
G. Terragni, Technical notes,
Quadrant n.35/36, October 1936, Rome
* the current table top is in another essence
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