UNESCO World Heritage Centre

The UNESCO headquarters encapsulates the core foundations of the global architectural standards through the collaboration of Nervi, Breuer and Zehrfuss under the supervision of the ‘Gropius Five’ international architects. Nervi’s use of innovative construction methods for reinforced concrete formed a solution to meet the demands for economies and the politics of architecture through function.

The UNESCO building was an early example of Nervi’s expression of aesthetic, which is highlighted through his crucial role of engineering the large ‘Y’ shaped frame off the ground with an expressive ‘light massiveness’ alongside the single shell accordion ceiling. These architectural demonstrations of the building are Nervi’s pioneering progressive architectural practices that were experimental in global politics as a fast construction method for the build environment.

With the assistance of computer aided design, this film celebrates Nervi’s mathematical search for a system of geometric rhythm through a series of 3D coded animations that echoes his intrinsic and extrinsic forces to generate engineered shapes that pulsated change throughout cityscapes in the 20th century. The periodicity of Nervi’s architectural human solutions are simulated through the regenerative 3D technological space and sound piece exhibiting the aesthetic of a systematically engineered visual concrete. These sequences of geometric forms are tools to better understand his structural and visual logic that demonstrate his clear interest in a search for an aesthetic system. A system of geometric rhythm.