LA TRASLUCENZA NELL’INVOLUCRO ARCHITETTONICO: materiali, prestazioni e tecnologie innovative applicate alle frontiere edilizie contemporanee

Research investigates the concept of TRANSLUCENCE in application to the ARCHITECTURAL ENVELOPE, through the interpretation of the new expressive tendencies of the contemporary design planning, which more and more opens up to the experimentation of innovative materials and technologic solutions. Over the past few years, many architectural planners have not only turned their attention to the creation of stimulating environments, but also focused on the design of surfaces, tactile features, of color and texture and building materials. In the current perception concept, architecture seems to shift its interpretation and essentiality limits from sensibility obtained through the features of materials, to sensibility given by artificial or natural light applied to them. The planning care seems then to achieve innovative solutions for the building structure, which is considered the baseline element of the expressive quality for architectural productions. The outline is then considered a converging point of technical and representative concepts in architectural projects, and has also a main role itself when relating with all its surroundings (streets, squares, environment, nature, other buildings and so on). In the development of research, the initial definition of architectural translucence aims to explain the status of art in this planning interpretation tendency, and to trace the possible innovative paths in the production of technological products and materials that can lead to this new potentiality. This developments are to be applied for both improvement works and/or reuse for the valorization of existing buildings, and for new building plans. By analysing and comparing several representative and illustrative studies about the expressive potential of different materials, capable of adding translucence to structures or sections, these most innovative materials and application solutions will be hereby thoroughly elaborated. Moreover, combining the results about materials with the data obtained by comparing different representation cases, we will try to create specific guidelines for the project planners that aim to use these details.