Even before getting their hands on Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings, the Italian master architect's work should be familiar to Wallpaper* readers. From masterpieces like the Brion-Vega Cemetery in San Vito d'Altivole, near Treviso, to smaller works like the Olivetti Showroom in St Mark’s Square, Venice, everything Carlo Scarpa touched had a diversity of form, materiality and invention that synthesised both old and new and craft and technology. This publication, a notable new architecture book for 2024, explores all these themes, and more.
Additions to the Villa il Palazzetto, Monselice, Padua, Italy, 1971–78
Flicking through ‘Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings’
Born in 1906, Scarpa worked across a wide range of scales, from shop-fitting to furniture, mausoleums to expansive restorations and extensions. His wasn’t an especially high-profile career, and at the time of his death in 1978, Scarpa had been substantially forgotten. Only the most acutely aware architects had come to appreciate Scarpa’s distinctly uncategorisable path between the frequently warring factions of modernism, post-modernism and traditionalism.
Olivetti Showroom, Venice, Italy,1957–58
The Complete Buildings shows why this quiet veneration has evolved into full-blown obsession in modern times. From his seamless work in ancient cities like Venice, to his appreciation and collaboration with traditional artisans, and knowledge of far-flung craft and design traditions, particularly Japan, Scarpa continues to have an influence on everything from contemporary art to the work of current architecture and interiors.
Villa Veritti, Udine, Italy, 1955–61
The photography is by Cemal Emden, an architect who brings a trained eye to this portfolio, just as he did with earlier monographs on Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier. Over 200 images chronicle the extent of Scarpa’s surviving work, all of which is in Italy. Emden’s camera is especially focused on the architect’s remarkable detail design, the way different materials, textures and even eras were combined to make an ever richer whole.
Courtyard Grand Hotel Minerva, Florence,Italy, 1958–61. Carlo Scarpa with Edoardo Detti
Scarpa’s design legacy is continued by his son Tobia Scarpa, but it is also an increasingly powerful influence on contemporary practice. With skilful refurbishment becoming an ever more important part of modern architectural practice, this essential monograph shows us a bold and creative way forwards.
Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona, Italy, 1957–64; 1967–75
'Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings,' photography by Cemal Emden, edited by Emiliano Bugatti with texts by Jale N. Erzen
Prestel Publishing, RRP £50, Amazon.co.uk
-
The bespoke Jaguar E-Type GTO melds elements from every era of the classic sports carECD Automotive Design’s one-off commission caters to a client who wanted to combine the greatest hits of Jaguar’s E-Type along with modern conveniences and more power
-
Casa Sanlorenzo debuts in Venice as a new hub for contemporary artThe luxury yachting leader unveils a stunning new space in a palazzo restored by Piero Lissoni – where art, innovation, and sustainability come together
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being rebonr as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
How was Carlo Ratti’s ‘Intelligens’? Wallpaper* editors discuss the 19th Venice BiennaleHaving visited ‘Intelligens’, the 19th Venice Biennale's main show by curator Carlo Ratti, the Wallpaper* editors discuss what they saw at the world's biggest global architecture festival
-
Discover architect Ico Parisi’s modernist sanctuaries on the banks of Lake ComoA string of sculptural sanctuaries by architect Ico Parisi on the banks of Lake Como helped cement the area as the heartland of Italian modernism; we explore his work in an article from the Wallpaper* archives
-
Explore this new Lake Como villa and its powerful, cinematic viewsA Lake Como villa by Tuckey Design Studio celebrates the history of its site and references the surrounding landscape through materiality
-
2026 Olympic and Paralympic Torches: in Carlo Ratti's minimalism ‘the flame is the protagonist’The 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Torches for the upcoming Milano Cortina Games have been revealed, designed by architect Carlo Ratti to highlight the Olympic flame
-
Anni Albers' weaving magic offers a delightful 2-in-1 modernist showcase in MilanA Milan Design Week showcase of Anni Albers’ weaving work, brought to life by Dedar with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, brings visitors to modernist icon, the BBPR-designed Torre Velasca
-
Milan Design Week: ‘A Beat of Water’ highlights the power of the precious natural resource‘A Beat of Water’ by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group and Roca zooms in on water and its power – from natural element to valuable resource, touching on sustainability and consumption
-
This Milan Design Week installation invites you to tread barefoot inside a palazzoAt Palazzo Litta, Moscapartners and Byoung Cho launch a contemplative installation on the theme of migration
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizonA peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
