Gli impianti elevatori nella caratterizzazione tecnico-compositiva delle facciate

Mechanized vertical communication systems for the transport of people have always manifested symbolic contents that go well beyond mere functionality: just think of the skyscraper/elevator and department store/escalator combinations to grasp different meanings and messages. This communicative potential finds a particularly scenographic dimension when its presence characterizes the exterior of buildings, transforming the mechanical, technical and technological aspects into a strong image, capable of designing the aesthetics of the facades. In this sense, external elevators, not only those designed to overcome differences in level on an urban scale or to create panoramic views, have been and still are a compositional element, attributable to modernist or high-tech architecture. The contribution aims to investigate, with emblematic examples, the role that cabins and escalators have played in the high-tech and modern movement not only by marking and designing the aesthetics of numerous architectures, but also by managing to resolve problems related to accessibility and soustanability.