Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas: The Cloud: New Rome-Eur Convention Centre

This book narrates the complete detailed history of the New Rome Convention centre in Rome and its construction through numerous and evocative images of the work site showing the complexity of the construction stages and the special techniques that were necessary. There are photos of the completed building, by internationally renowned photographers and an essay by Joseph Giovannini, and is completed with very rich iconographic material composed of technical drawings on various scales, and sketches by the Massimiliano Fuksas, author of the work together with Doriana Fuksas. The NUVOLA (NEW CONVENTION CENTRE) is a work of outstanding artistic merit, featuring innovative logistics solutions, and a choice of technically advanced materials. The structure rises in the historic EUR quarter and covers a surface of 55,000 square metres. The project concept can be defined in three images: the Theca, the Nuvola, and the Lama of the hotel structure. The Theca [display case] is the enclosing structure in steel and double glass facades that encases the Nuvola [cloud], the true core of the project, enclosed inside the Display Case box underlining the contrast between the organisation of free space without rules, and a geometrically defined form. The Nuvola contains an auditorium with seating for 1850, cafes and snack bars, and support services for the auditorium. This highly flexible complex is able to house congresses, exhibitions, and events with a seating capacity of almost 9,000 people. The book has been published on various types of paper and differently sized sheets which are inserted within the pages. Studio Fuksas, directed by Massimiliano and Doriana, is one of the most famous international architectural firms in the world. Over the past 40 years, the firm has developed an innovative approach through a surprising variety of projects all over the world and and has been awarded numerous international prizes.

Joseph Giovannini has served as the architecture critic for New York magazine and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, and for a long time was a staff writer on design and architecture for The New Yorker, Architectural Record, Architectural Digest, Art in America, Art Forum, Architecture Magazine, Architect Magazine, Industrial Design Magazine, and e Interior Design. A prominent figure in American architecture, he has been an activist critic with a record of discovering emerging talent for major mainstream publications and professional journals. He coined the term 'Deconstructivism' during articles he wrote announcing the movement. Giovannini has written literally thousands of articles for periodicals, and he has also authored numerous essays for books and monographs. As a critic, he has won numerous awards, grants and honours.