New technologies for the restoration of the modern architecture: the case study of the Church of St. Mary Immaculate of Longuelo

The Church of St. Mary Immaculate of Longuelo is one of the most interesting and representative works of the Lombard architect Pino Pizzigoni. This project, which construction began in 1961, was founded on technological innovation assumptions and characterized by a space covered by reinforced concrete thin-shells supported by inclined pillars. The formal configuration of the Church was set in close connection with its religious significance; New Testaments words and meanings were translated by the architect into a building design. From a formal point of view based on a hyperbolic paraboloid, the interior is characterized by an enveloping space emphasized by the light penetrating only from tall windows and inspiring visitors with a deep sense of the sacred. Today, more than forty years after its construction, the geometry of this prestigious example of modern architecture remains almost unknown, understood and/or full accepted by the users. Its forms, sometimes sinuous and winding, sometimes edgy and essential, are affected by many degradation phenomena and lowered by several posthumous interventions (due to new liturgical requirements) not always fully respectful of the architect's intentions. Observed through the eye of laser scanner, in a conscious manner directed by the operators (surveyor-restorer), this paper aims at illustrating the spatial complexity of a place that, more than others, links the materiality of architecture to the spirituality of the Christian faith.