Casa della RAS and Casa del Lavoro was one of the most important buildings in Trieste at the time. Umberto Nordio was commissioned to represent fascist Trieste in symbolic and strategically located buildings. With Casa della RAS he completed the scenographic frontage of Piazza Oberdan. Starting in the 1920s, this urban area had been completely redesigned after the demolition of the Austrian barracks. It was there that Guglielmo Oberdan, a Trieste patriot who had attempted to assassinate Emperor Franz Joseph, had been imprisoned and executed in 1882. Oberdan’s cell was to be the catalyst for the redesign and transformation of the district. The design of the square aimed to create a new urban neighbourhood as well as a memorial, a focus for historically significant symbolic elements.

The whole neighbourhood embodies a modern architectural language, with its smooth stone slabs, fabric-like brickwork, windows that are much larger than the old windows, balconies and loggias typical of the area, and arcades connecting the buildings. A distinctive feature of Nordio’s work is the sense of place that is apparent in his careful approach to Trieste’s historical urban fabric and highly specific architectural image.

The first political commitment to Nordio is the realization of the building and the simultaneous arrangement of the shrine dedicated to Guglielmo Oberdan. The design and construction of the building have various difficulties, perfectly resolved, including the positioning of the cell in which he was detained Oberdan, part of a former Habsburg barracks that you wanted to keep. The House of the fighter served as a museum and as a forum for Trieste sections of veterans' associations. In 1933 it was added 54m tower. Arches at street level and arches on the first floor, covered with white stone, respects the classical language.