Modeling the Cuneo

Aldo Rossi’s Cuneo Monument was an unbuilt project dedicated to the Italian anti-fascist movement. This “paper architecture” was a study of mass and void in 12-meter concrete cube. The structure is imagined to be an “intense experience of ascent, enclosure and view.”

At the outset, the idea was of an “analogous modeling” for the Cuneo — modeling it as it would have been constructed. The challenge was the choice of modeling material, something that will represent monolithic concrete. Analogous modeling is a departure from cardboard modeling, so paper is eliminated. What is favored is something that has thickness and can be stacked, the same way concrete is poured at certain depths. The material should also be soft enough to shape the voids.

The final modeling material is a 25-mm polystyrene, and a stack of 5 equals a 125-mm height, roughly the dimension of the monument at 1:100 scale. The hard part is carving out the voids using a blade, usually at more than two axes, although sequencing it at “pour depths” made it a lot easier.

The structure is deceptively simple, and the volume is more complicated than it appears. Constructing it in real life would have been challenging, especially the entrance/stairs section with its shifting axes. The key in its execution lies in the form-work craftsmanship, which makes the pouring of concrete rather menial.

Perspective

Model

Layer 1

Layer 2

Layer 3

Layer 4

Layer 5

Section