Trinità d'Agultu and Vignola, Villa Antonioni

Villa Antonioni. Project by Dante Bini, 1968-1970 ca.

Villa Antonioni, designed in the late Sixties by the architect Dante Bini for the famous director Michelangelo Antonioni, is an extraordinary example of architectural innovation, created thanks to the “Binishell” patent, designed by Bini himself. This system involves the use of a thin dome-shaped reinforced concrete shell, raised by air inflation. Thanks to this technique, over the years, more than 1500 structures have been built around the world, including residences, sports facilities, schools, tourist complexes, libraries, offices, warehouses and industrial buildings.
The speed of construction, the extraordinary adaptability for the construction of different types of buildings, the low costs and the excellent static properties make this technology one of the most ingenious, contributing significantly to the renewal of architecture in the post-war period.
Bini's invention is part of a wider research context that, in the 1950s and 1960s, led to standardization and prefabrication, but also to formal experimentation in architecture. The novelty of the project lay in the basic principle: an elastic membrane, or pneumatic formwork, which, once inflated, lifted the concrete shell together with the underlying metal structure. After the concrete had hardened, the membrane was deflated and the openings were cut, and then the construction was completed with internal walls, systems, finishes and fixtures.
The original patent dates back to 1964, with improvements made until 1970, without however altering the fundamental principles of the system. Today, the Beverly Hills, California-based company Binisystems continues to develop and promote these innovative construction systems.
Villa Antonioni holds a special place in the panorama of Bini's creations, and it is likely that the particular commission played a fundamental role in the design of the house. The choice to use the Binishell system, and to place the villa in one of the wildest and most uncontaminated areas of Sardinia, represents a perfect synthesis between architectural innovation and cinematographic experimentation that has made Michelangelo Antonioni one of the most influential directors in the world. The standardization of the construction system was perfectly adapted to the artistic and cultural idea of the client, enriched by the proximity of the sensitive and artistically brilliant Monica Vitti, then the director's partner. Dante Bini, therefore, did not simply design a house, but a unique, modern work that embodied an architectural, cultural and cinematographic vision of great value.

Ministry of Culture profile - Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity >

Factsheet on the FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano website >

Article in AD magazine - Architectural Digest >

History of studies
On the villa “La Cupola” there are numerous citations and reference bibliographies. The studies on the architectural works and the original construction techniques of Dante Bini, have always been constant and have undergone a significant increase in recent decades. Increase of interest fostered by the current enhancement of the qualities of sustainability and low invasiveness in the design and construction of contemporary architecture, characteristics already present in history in the construction and design techniques of the “Binishell” system, conceived and patented by Dante Bini in the Sixties.

Bibliography
G. Morelli, "Casseforme pneumatiche per la costruzione di cupole in cemento armato", in "Rivista italiana del cemento", 1978;
W. Nerdinger, "Frei Otto Complete Works: Lightweight Construction, Natural Design", in "Birkhauser", Basilea, 2005;
F. Neder, B. Fuller Richard, "Buckminster Fuller", In folio, 2008;
D. Bini, G. Dioguardi, "A cavallo di un soffio d'aria. L'architettura autoformante" in "Guerini e Associati", 2009;
AA. VV., "La Biennale di Venezia. XIV Mostra internazionale di Architettura. Fundamentals, Catalogo della mostra" (Venezia, 7 giugno-23 novembre 2014). 378-379, ed "Marsilio", Venezia, 2009;
L. Fontana, "Sardegna: la casa-cupola di Michelangelo Antonioni", in "Anankē n. 67" 78-79, 2009:
A. Pugnale, A. Bologna, "Dante Bini's air structures (1964-1979). From early italian prototypes to the australian experience, in Proceedings of the Firts Construction in History Society Conference e Annual General meeting, aprile 2014" 355-366, University of Cambridge, 2014;
D. Bini, "Building with Air", da "Bibliotheque McLean -Londra", 2014;
R- Giuliana, "Una casa che ha la forma dell’aria", in "Rassegna di architettura e urbanistica", a.55, n. 162, 2020;