Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979) may be regarded equally as an engineer and an architect. Through his efforts to create a fusion of design and execution, his perceptive observations of building practice, and the development of more than 30 patents, Nervi made an important contribution to 20th century science and technology. This unique appraisal focuses on the pioneering phase in Nervi's life, a period in which all the basic ideas for his later constructions were developed.