“Architettura in movimento”. L’automotrice Belvedere di Renzo Zavanella

The diesel railcar known as Belvedere (model ALtn 444-3001 OM) has been produced in the factories of the Officine Meccaniche in Milan since 1948. It derives its name from the belvedere located in the centre of the wagon, an elevated space with large windows where travellers could enjoy a 360-degree view of the landscape. This vehicle was presented to the public during the XXVI edition of the Milan trade fair in 1948, in an exceptional pavilion designed by Zavanella. The Belvedere, in circulation until 1965, had offered transport service conceived primarily for tourism. Its modern interiors were characterized by the introduction of industrial materials combined with customized furnishing accessories, such as the organically-shaped armchairs. In the years of the economic boom, this “architecture in motion” became representative of the extension of the architect’s design interests to industrial objects, anticipating one of the characteristics that would distinguish Italian design.