Rethinking the building envelope. Rehabilitation project and maintenance strategies for the RAI Auditorium in Naples

The building envelope is a key element in characterising the image of architecture and its relationship with the urban context. Preserving the identity of the envelope in valuable buildings is a priority in the rehabilitation project. In architectural projects based on experimentation and technological innovation, the durability of components and materials is often a critical issue. The building rehabilitation plays an essential role in reinterpreting the original design solutions, while respecting the building’s identity and extending its life cycle. The research analyses the case of the RAI Production Centre in Naples, designed in the late 1950s by Renato Avolio De Martino, Raffaele Contigiani and Mario De Renzi. Over time, the building underwent extensive alterations, mainly due to production needs arising from the change in television filming systems. The impressive volume of the Auditorium was originally entirely clad with multi-faceted ceramic tiles. This cladding, which resulted in a refractive effect of natural light, decayed quickly. As a result, the ceramic cladding was partially removed and replaced with aluminium panels. The paper aims to develop design strategies for the rehabilitation of architectural and performance qualities of the building envelope, as well as for the maintenance planning, in order to improve the durability of the Technological System.