Olivetti was able to attract talent from all over Italy, across a wide range of fields, from product and architectural design to communication. Established professionals, or, more often, younger professionals, gained national and international renown thanks to Olivetti. One of the many examples is undoubtedly Ottavio Cascio. Originally from Alcamo, in Sicily, he was hired by Olivetti in 1950, after graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and obtaining a degree in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan. In that vibrant atmosphere, his career quickly led him to manage an increasing number of significant projects, which helped change the face of the city.
Among his many projects (including the rapid restoration of the Teatro Giacosa in Ivrea in 1958), it is worth mentioning the restoration of the former Olivetti carpentry workshop located on Via Jervis, which he carried out in 1955. Cascio added a both functional and aesthetic element to the building: the brise-soleil, or sunshade. A triple row of coloured, adjustable blades, made of fibre cement and supported by metal frames, was installed on the façade of the complex. This solution provides dynamism to the building’s architecture and gives the entire Via Jervis an innovative character, reflecting onto the windows of the ICO Workshops.
Cascio would later employ the sunshade blades as a compositional motif in many industrial buildings in Ivrea and in the Olivetti area of San Bernardo.
