Building for apartments and shops (1962-1967), via Monte Generoso 4 (ex n.6), Milano
Contractor: Costruzioni Edili Figli di Lecchi Costantino
Contractor: Costruzioni Edili Figli di Lecchi Costantino
Between 1962 and 1967, Gigi Gho' designs a residential and retail building in the North-West periphery of Milan, near the Caserma Montello and the Tennis Club Alberto Bonacossa (1923-1929).
The simplicity of the resulting composition is archetypal of a typical Milanese construction trend of the 1960s, where the search for urban elegance and decorum - common to many architectures of the previous decade as well as to Gho’’s style - gives way to experimentation of new materials and expressions.
The main elevation on via Monte Generoso is characterised by a distinctive stylistic grid, composed of bow-windows, loggias, balconies, openings of various size, sliding shutters, iron balustrades, stone surfaces and ceramic mosaic tiles. The overhanging roof - interrupted by the presence of a balcony - and the peculiar notched vertical profile remark even further the sophisticated discontinuity of the elevation. Such fragmented style is evident in the extreme attention paid in drawing the details, in the high standard of the materials employed, and in the efficacy of the chromatic rendering. In plan, the building shows some of the typical architectural features of the “edificio di cortina” (continuous front elevation) such as the relation with the road - resolved by the lower fascia cladded with square Trachyte slab - and the hierarchy between the primary and secondary frontage.
At the ground floor, slightly raised and occupying the entire footprint, lies the commercial area with shop-windows and a wide exhibition area covered by an industrial saw-tooth roof. The apartments are located at the upper floors, two on each level, with double access. The living areas have generous views on the street whereas the service areas face the internal courtyard. Small greenhouses with flower pots are cleverly located in correspondence with the loggias and the bow-windows, a great invention given the construction standards of the time.
The simplicity of the resulting composition is archetypal of a typical Milanese construction trend of the 1960s, where the search for urban elegance and decorum - common to many architectures of the previous decade as well as to Gho’’s style - gives way to experimentation of new materials and expressions.
The main elevation on via Monte Generoso is characterised by a distinctive stylistic grid, composed of bow-windows, loggias, balconies, openings of various size, sliding shutters, iron balustrades, stone surfaces and ceramic mosaic tiles. The overhanging roof - interrupted by the presence of a balcony - and the peculiar notched vertical profile remark even further the sophisticated discontinuity of the elevation. Such fragmented style is evident in the extreme attention paid in drawing the details, in the high standard of the materials employed, and in the efficacy of the chromatic rendering. In plan, the building shows some of the typical architectural features of the “edificio di cortina” (continuous front elevation) such as the relation with the road - resolved by the lower fascia cladded with square Trachyte slab - and the hierarchy between the primary and secondary frontage.
At the ground floor, slightly raised and occupying the entire footprint, lies the commercial area with shop-windows and a wide exhibition area covered by an industrial saw-tooth roof. The apartments are located at the upper floors, two on each level, with double access. The living areas have generous views on the street whereas the service areas face the internal courtyard. Small greenhouses with flower pots are cleverly located in correspondence with the loggias and the bow-windows, a great invention given the construction standards of the time.
Bibliography about this work:
Maurizio Boriani, Corinna Morandi, Augusto Rossari, Milano contemporanea. Itinerari di architettura e urbanistica, Designers riuniti, Torino 1986, p.283
Jolanda Ventura (a cura di), Gigi Gho': progetti e architetture 1950-1995, [s.e.], 1997, pp.148-151
Maurizio Boriani, Corinna Morandi, Augusto Rossari, Milano contemporanea. Itinerari di architettura e urbanistica, Designers riuniti, Torino 1986, p.283
Jolanda Ventura (a cura di), Gigi Gho': progetti e architetture 1950-1995, [s.e.], 1997, pp.148-151
Design drawings and historical photos |
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