Costruire l’industria (building the industry) examines the case of the architectural studio Corsini and Wiskemann, founded by Costantino Corsini in Milan in the late 1950s, which was part of the vibrant scene that saw the emergence of industrial design and the deepening of links between architecture and industry. Among the studio’s main clients was the Techint Group, a leading player in engineering and the steel and energy industries, with whom the studio collaborated on the construction of plants in Italy and around the world, shaping a new industrial landscape. In the 1970s, the studio also worked with Finsider, designing the iconic facades of the innovative steelworks and tube rolling mill in historic Dalmine – now Tenaris, part of the Techint Group. A beautiful and colourful industrial complex, situated next to the historic factory founded at the turn of the century in Dalmine, around which the eponymous company town had developed – a typical example of a twentieth century landscape.

The studio’s work is documented in its archive, donated by the family to the Dalmine Foundation: a rich collection of documents, drawings and sketches that are essential for reconstructing a lesser-known – but no less representative – example of architecture that interprets the technical culture of large-scale industry, giving shape to production plants and facilities recognisable for their overall design quality.