Usually representing spirits, ancestors or the primordial couple, these figures were placed in shrines and treated with great respect. Through a wide range of style, scale, belief and function the couples depicted share a timeless, serene equality necessary to the continuity of their societies.

Datum Antique: Giuseppe Pettazzi's Fiat Tagliero Building

Architects: Giuseppe Pettazzi
Location: Asmara, Eritrea
Interior Décor: Giuseppe Pettazzi
Project Year: 1938
Photographer: Eric Lafforgue, Various

Current Owner: Kahsai Haile Futur

The Fiat Tagliero Building in Asmara, described as "probably the world's most beautiful petrol station, and also one of the world's supreme examples of Futurism" Justin Hill, Eritrean Timewarp

- 15 October 2015
- Edwin Seda
Datum Antiques , Contemporary , Contemporary African Directory , Transit Oriented , Selected Works ,

The Tagliero building is at best the eccentric product of a relatively ambitious architect from Italy who sort to visualize the essence of transit architecture. It sits in a quaint street in Asmara, with ambitious spread canopies that extend a ridiculous depth outwards from the main small building, a concept in aviary exaltation. It is an exercise in finding the balance between what the 1930s engineering could achieve and the pseudo-modern tendencies that had gripped the country at the time.

Datum Antique's Giuseppe Pettazzi's Fiat Tagliero Building

From the beginning conceived as a simple petrol station, Pettazzi designed a building that resembles an aeroplane. The building consists of a central tower which incorporates the office space and cashiers desk and shop. The tower supports a pair of 15m cantilevered wings, which are built in reinforced concrete and are structurally unsupported.

Datum Antique's Giuseppe Pettazzi's Fiat Tagliero Building

Although this was Petazzi's original design, local authorities at the time insisted that each wing should be supported by pillars. This was believed to be a local myth, until proved when the original plans were found in 2001. Another urban legend states that Pettazzi settled the argument by holding a revolver to the main builder's head, threatened to kill him if they did not remove the supports. In the end the supports were removed and the wings held, just as they do today.

Datum Antique's Giuseppe Pettazzi's Fiat Tagliero Building

The building is still structurally sound after 75 years. It has not been damaged during the numerous conflicts that affected the Horn of Africa during the twentieth century, and so it stands today. The building was restored in 2003, and is Category I listed in Eritrea. This means that no part of the building may be adjusted in any way.

CLICK TO REVIEW LINKED STORY

Datum Antique: Pancho Guedes' Saipal Bakery
Every so often architecture smacks you right in the face and forces you to remember why it is exactly that buildings touch us so deeply. The Amancio Guedes designed Saipal Bakery has more controversy in its use than most other buildings but the architectural trials and triumphs cannot be overs...

- © Fiat Tagliero Building Asmara Giuseppe Pettazzi...
- © Fiat Tagliero Building Asmara Giuseppe Pettazzi...
- © Fiat Tagliero Building Asmara Giuseppe Pettazzi...

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

If you want your own avatar and keep track of your discussions with the community, sign up to archiDATUM >>

SELECTED WORKS

- Mopti Centre For Earth Architecture / Kere Architecture
- 12 Aug 2015
The Centre for Earth Architecture is part of a series of developments the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has carried out in Mopti. Oth...
- Stone Towers / Zaha Hadid Architects ZHA
- 02 Apr 2016
Stone Towers, named for an ancient petrified tree at the heart of this new development, comprises state of the art office facilities for ...
- 1st Congress Tower / Costalopes
- 26 Nov 2016
The 1st Congress Tower is located in Luanda, the capital of Angola. The project equates itself around four fundamental conditions: the pr...

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN DIRECTORY

- Al Alfy House / Shahira Fahmy Architects
- 07 Jun 2016
Located on the coast, the 25-year-old main house is within a gated community that faces the ocean waters of Egypt's Al ‘Alamayn. It is al...
- Terra Lodge Hotel / Ramos Castellano Arquitectos
- 05 Dec 2017
In the middle of the Atlantic ocean, in the island of Sao Vicente, in a dry windy island where only rain in August. A France trekking gui...
- Under The Sails / SCEG Architects
- 09 Apr 2016
With the House of Sails, four primary volumes on two levels house the interior of the residence. It utilizes a primary organization with ...