The People's Glass House

“The People’s Glass House” tells the story of the Giuseppe Terragni Casa del Fascio project in Como. Long acknowledged as one of the masterpieces of twentieth century architecture, the building in question represents an effort to elaborate a distinctly national, even nationalist, architectural idiom that, nonetheless, fulfills the highest aspirations of the modern movement. The essay situates the elaboration of this key project within its historical context, analyzes its relationship to the regime’s autarchic themes, and explores Terragni’s attitudes towards both modern and ancient materials from the standpoint of their ideological resonances.