Contemporary Architecture in Bologna

Bologna is a city where the past is not erased, but continually reinterpreted, revealing its avant-garde spirit even in its urban fabric, characterised by a coexistence of the past and the modern that is well reflected in its architecture. Alongside the medieval and Renaissance fabric, 20th-century and contemporary architecture has created a complex stratification, made up of experimentation, reconstruction, urban visions and new civic spaces.

A journey through the contemporary architecture of Bologna that crosses the historic centre, the suburbs and the major cultural centres, recounting the evolution of the city through its architecture

• Between Art Nouveau and early modern styles in the historic centre

The tour can begin in the historic centre, where Bologna welcomed the first signs of modernity between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In Via Rizzoli, the Casa Commerciale Barilli (1906-1907), designed by architect Leonida Bertolazzi, is one of the most elegant examples of Art Nouveau architecture in the city: the large windows and stained glass and wrought iron railings tell the story of the era of department stores and the urban bourgeoisie. (Source: Biblioteca Sala Borsa – bologna.online)

Continuing towards Via Marconi, Via dei Mille, Via Irnerio and the quadrilateral Piazza dei Martiri, the urban fabric is enriched with buildings from the 1930s, evidence of Bologna's fascist past. Among these, the Palazzo del Gas, known as Palazzo Faccetta Nera, Palazzo Lancia and the former Casa del Contadino stand out, examples of monumental and ideological architecture, now fully integrated into city life. Completing the picture is the historic headquarters of the Zanichelli Publishing House (1938), designed by Luigi Veronesi, with its marble and granite façade. (Source: Information brochure on contemporary architecture in Bologna)

The reopening of the Cinema Modernissimo, which reopened to the public in 2023 after more than fifteen years of closure, also fits into this same urban axis. Opened in 1915 in the basement of Palazzo Ronzani, a building symbolic of Bologna's embrace of modernity, the cinema was returned to the city thanks to a major restoration project overseen by set designer Giancarlo Basili, who preserved the original Art Nouveau atmosphere while integrating contemporary technological solutions. The restoration has also reactivated the dialogue with the Via Rizzoli underpass, transforming these underground spaces into a single cultural hub where the memory of the 20th century meets a new idea of cinema enjoyment.

• The University as an architecture laboratory

The university district is one of the places where Bologna has successfully combined conservation and experimentation. In the 1970s, the historic centre underwent a vast restoration programme, alongside which significant contemporary architectural interventions linked to academic life were carried out.

At Porta San Donato, the Luigi Bombicci Mineralogy Museum Collection (1903, Pasquale Penza and Flavio Bastiani) dialogues with the Department of Mathematics (1960-1965) by Giovanni Michelucci, a modern building that reinterprets the structure of the Bolognese portico in a contemporary key. In Piazza Scaravilli, the new Faculty of Economics and Commerce (1955, Luigi Vignali) and the Library designed by Enzo Zacchiroli bear witness to an architectural language based on exposed concrete, copper and wood. Along Via Belmeloro, the headquarters of Johns Hopkins University consciously breaks with the historical context, offering a free and avowedly modern architecture. (Source: Information brochure on contemporary architecture in Bologna)

• Urban regeneration and contemporary architecture

In the 2000s, architecture became a tool for urban regeneration. The Manifattura delle Arti area was transformed into a cultural centre, a project entrusted to architect Aldo Rossi who, among other things, revolutionised the Art Nouveau façade of the former Manifattura Tabacchi, now home to Bologna's famous Cineteca film library.

In the western suburbs, in an area strongly marked by industrial presence, stands the Fondazione MAST – Manifattura di Arti, Sperimentazione e Tecnologia (MAST Foundation – Arts, Experimentation and Technology). The project, designed by the Roman studio Labics, is conceived as an integrated system between business, territory and community. The multifunctional building, characterised by clean geometric lines and extensive use of glass and steel, stands out for its light and contemporary architectural image, complemented by a rich offering of cultural and social services, including exhibition spaces and an academy dedicated to technological innovation.

The most recent project is Filla, the new energy-efficient pavilion inaugurated in 2025 in Parco della Montagnola, designed by Mario Cucinella. A light, sustainable structure, consisting of three glass volumes connected by a portico among the trees, designed as a civic space and meeting place, a permanent laboratory for environmental education and discussion on the themes of ecological and energy transition, climate change and care for the territory. A contemporary landmark that does not impose itself but integrates, and which tells the future direction of the city. (Sources: Il giornale dell’Architettura; iperbole - Comune di Bologna)

©Photo: Walter Vecchio, courtesy MCA, Fondazione IU Rusconi Ghigi