The wings
Without supports.
sailko — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Clay Gilliland from Chandler, U.S.A. — CC BY-SA 2.0 · sailko — CC BY-SA 3.0 · sailko — CC BY-SA 3.0 · sailko — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Fiat Tagliero Building is a Futurist-style filling station in Asmara, Eritrea's capital, completed in 1938. The Italian engineer Giuseppe Pettazzi designed it like an aeroplane, with a central tower and two huge 15-metre cantilevered concrete wings that stand without supports. It is the best known of Asmara's modernist buildings, which joined the World Heritage List in 2017. It was built as a simple fuel station for the city's Fiat dealer. During construction the local authorities insisted on pillars under the wings, but the engineer held they were not needed; they were removed in the end and the wings held. It was partly hit by bombing in the Second World War but survived without major damage. You see a tall white tower topped by a large red panel reading «FIAT», with offices with wide windows below. On either side stretch two thin white horizontal concrete wings, like a plane about to take off. An open forecourt and broad streets surround it. It stands in central Asmara, about 1 km from the city centre. It can be seen from outside at any time. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea, and all travel near its land borders, so read the current advice before you plan.
Without supports.
The red Fiat panel.
A plane shape.
Central Asmara, Eritrea
For its long concrete wings that stand without supports.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea.
