Corviale

Corviale is a social housing development in southwestern Rome with a main building nearly one kilometer long and nine floors high. Two parallel blocks flank the main structure and provide ventilation and natural light to the apartments.

Construction began in 1972 following a design by architect Mario Fiorentino for a large housing estate intended for thousands of residents. Financial difficulties in the 1980s resulted in several planned community facilities remaining unfinished.

The name comes from an old farmhouse that once stood in the area and now labels a neighborhood conceived as a self-sufficient social unit. Residents organize themselves through neighborhood networks and use shared areas for everyday encounters.

Five main entrances with elevators divide the complex into six sections and help visitors orient themselves. Elevated walkways connect the different blocks and allow residents direct access to their apartments.

The fourth floor was originally intended for shops and services but became home to hundreds of families who moved in without authorization in the years after opening. This informal occupation fundamentally changed the original concept of the building.