Podlabin

Pozzo Littorio was planned as a hole administratively depending on Raša and which with Sardinia’s Carbonia was the most important coal mine “within the national territory”. Eugenio Montuori was assigned the compilation of the regulation plan of the new town. Thanks to the possibility to control, within the zoning plan, also the architectural activities, the result was a completely shaped urban space. In an intelligent and functional manner and by taking into consideration the administrative hierarchy Montuori drew up a plan in which the shape of buildings, their volume, chiefly horizontal lines, porticoes and light color shades created a harmonious Mediterranean atmosphere integrated in the surrounding landscape. The main town square is designed so that it can be approachable from every direction. With respect to the residential neighborhood it is located almost on the periphery with a nice panoramic view and right next to the tree zone. The buildings around the church are low, allowing a panoramic look of the square and emphasizing the church and bell tower dimensions. There are 3 building typologies used for the construction of houses for workers families which in terms of social hierarchy is divided in: case intensive (casarmoni), casacape (impiegati) and vilette. The community was supplied with all infrastructure and facilities that inhabitants of the town needed: workers canteen, cinema, elementary school, kindergarten, youth building G.I.L. (Gioventu’ Italiana del Littorio), town administration service, tax office, post and telegraph office, hotel for single employees. Public buildings are characterized by simplicity and typical rationalism shapes. Residential buildings are built simply and in accordance with the traditional building styles in the surrounding area (regional methods and materials: shallow roofs covered with tiles, porches with semicircular and lowered arches, built-in balconies, wooden blinds, pergolas, gardens…). Pozzo Littorio is an example of industrial building model within which Montuori gathered also all local tradition values. Industrial architecture of Pijacal is rich with many different constructive elements, the most often is frame in prestressed concrete used in almost every building as inner part of construction or decorative element on elevations. The typology of present buildings are: administrative building, miners bathroom, lamp house, mine tower, building for pithead winding gear, compressor station, heating plant.