Opinion: Fuksas's Nuvola in Rome – A Masterpiece or a Misstep?

Architecture critic Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi defends Massimiliano Fuksas's Nuvola (Cloud) convention center in Rome's EUR district, arguing that despite widespread criticism, the building is a masterpiece of large-scale design. The Nuvola, a glass box containing a massive blob-like structure supported on only three points, was conceived before 9/11 and reflects an optimistic, globalized culture. Puglisi contrasts Fuksas's bold, theatrical approach with Renzo Piano's perfectionism, claiming Fuksas excels at managing grand scale where refined detail becomes insignificant. The project faced over fifteen years of delays and a budget of nearly 300 million euros. Construction finished in late June 2016, but the official inauguration with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is scheduled for October 29, 2016, with full occupancy not expected until 2018. Critics have called the building heavy, wasteful, out of context, formless, and exorbitantly expensive. Puglisi acknowledges these criticisms but insists the space must be experienced firsthand. During a press visit, a video projection of Michelangelo's Last Judgment on the entrance canopy evoked comparisons to Toyo Ito's early digital experiments. Puglisi questions the timing of the inauguration given global instability and the building's high operational costs.