Continuità d'uso e trasformazioni negli edifici residenziali progettati da Giuseppe Terragni a Como

The four residential buildings designed by Giuseppe Terragni in Como, alone or in collaboration with Alberto Sartoris, have maintained a continuity of residential use since their construction. In spite of this, the ways of use have changed during the years and these changes have led to modifications of different kind. This paper will show the changes which these buildings have undergone through the years, thus highlighting the importance, the motivation and the impact that such interventions had on Terragni’s planning idea, on the building and on its preservation. Thanks to the example of these four buildings, we want to think over the problem of the adaptation of already existing uses to new needs and/or regulative requirements, which often leads to activities which can be very invasive on the material and on the perception of the buildings. The study on the modifications, substitutions and violations, which these buildings have undergone through the years, allows to focus our attention on the little, sometimes totally absent, awareness of their value, and on the necessity to build knowledge as a base which is essential in order to consider a possible preservation.