Building for apartments, offices and shops (1955-1957), via Legnano 4-6-8, via Albertini, Milano
MEP Engineering: Eng. P. Giulio Bosisio, Eng. Giovanni Ronchi
Structure: Eng. Cesare Fermi
Contractor: G.R. Meregaglia, Milano
MEP Engineering: Eng. P. Giulio Bosisio, Eng. Giovanni Ronchi
Structure: Eng. Cesare Fermi
Contractor: G.R. Meregaglia, Milano
“In the modern Milan anthology, this building holds a remarkable place [...] for the city to remain 'new'.
The surfaces are in aluminum and in Piccinelli tiles enamelled in green, with a so much beautiful effect”
(Gio Ponti)
The surfaces are in aluminum and in Piccinelli tiles enamelled in green, with a so much beautiful effect”
(Gio Ponti)
The residential, office, and retail building in via Legnano (1955-1957) is one of the first among the Milanese works of Gig Gho’. The project gained immediate notoriety, as demonstrated by the various publications on magazines and monographs of the period. Gio Ponti, for example, was pleased with the project and on the pages of “Domus” wrote : “nell’antologia di Milano moderna, questo edificio tiene un posto ragguardevole [...] perché la città si mantenga ‘nuova” (in the anthology of modern Milan, this building has a considerable role [...] for the city to remain “new”).
Although from a construction and typology point of view its architecture presents many typical features of the 1950s Milanese apartment block, its prestigious location at the edge of Sempione park near the Civic Aquarium (1906) together with the considerable quality of its composition, make this a project of particular interest. The layout of the master plan is composed of two different linear blocks, the first facing via Legnano and the second facing via Albertini, connected by a perpendicular shorter volume to create a sort of irregular H shape. The functional area schedule includes mostly residences and, along via Legnano, is vertically subdivided: the ground floor contains commercial areas with generous exhibition spaces, whereas Gho' places the offices at the two top floors providing them with beautiful views on the park and a canteen with an extraordinary panoramic terrasse - a solution against the trends of the time, justified with functional and comfort reasons.
The functional complexity is solved by the designer with simple rationality, by subdividing the main facade vertically in three bands using a few, but clever, variations: the lower level is designed with exposed structural elements in order to maximise the shop-windows, a solution often adopted by Gho'. At the upper levels, intended for apartments, the slight overhang of the azure clinker cladding interrupts the vertical development of the pillars, and makes way to the succession of various-sized windows, flush with the facade. Above, the two office floors are characterised by the increase in intensity and uniformity of the rhythm of full and empty, reflecting the logic of the internal spaces. The lower facade along via Albertini is defined by a slightly concave segment which further ennobles the living rooms of the apartments, widening them and varying the points of view towards the city. Four cores, each with a staircase and a lift, give access to the residential units, with the service rooms overlooking the internal courtyard on one side, and the living areas overlooking the city and nearby trees on the other side. The building presents three different atria, all of them characterised by the high quality of the materials and finishes, by an artistic use of the colour (with references to the famous “Tableau” by Piet Mondrian), and by bespoke lighting fittings. In addition, the atrium at 6 and 8 of via Legnano boasts an original lozenge plasterboard ceiling.
Although the works were completed over a relative short time, the preliminary study phase went through some substantial variations. Indeed, before reaching the final option, Gho' designed a series of completely different options including the construction of a 15-16 storey tower rising over Sempione park: an option of great modernity in line with the Milanese high-rises trend of the period. The lack of an agreement over this point however took the designer to opt for the scheme which was then built; a further option exists, with a longer block along via Albertini.
Although from a construction and typology point of view its architecture presents many typical features of the 1950s Milanese apartment block, its prestigious location at the edge of Sempione park near the Civic Aquarium (1906) together with the considerable quality of its composition, make this a project of particular interest. The layout of the master plan is composed of two different linear blocks, the first facing via Legnano and the second facing via Albertini, connected by a perpendicular shorter volume to create a sort of irregular H shape. The functional area schedule includes mostly residences and, along via Legnano, is vertically subdivided: the ground floor contains commercial areas with generous exhibition spaces, whereas Gho' places the offices at the two top floors providing them with beautiful views on the park and a canteen with an extraordinary panoramic terrasse - a solution against the trends of the time, justified with functional and comfort reasons.
The functional complexity is solved by the designer with simple rationality, by subdividing the main facade vertically in three bands using a few, but clever, variations: the lower level is designed with exposed structural elements in order to maximise the shop-windows, a solution often adopted by Gho'. At the upper levels, intended for apartments, the slight overhang of the azure clinker cladding interrupts the vertical development of the pillars, and makes way to the succession of various-sized windows, flush with the facade. Above, the two office floors are characterised by the increase in intensity and uniformity of the rhythm of full and empty, reflecting the logic of the internal spaces. The lower facade along via Albertini is defined by a slightly concave segment which further ennobles the living rooms of the apartments, widening them and varying the points of view towards the city. Four cores, each with a staircase and a lift, give access to the residential units, with the service rooms overlooking the internal courtyard on one side, and the living areas overlooking the city and nearby trees on the other side. The building presents three different atria, all of them characterised by the high quality of the materials and finishes, by an artistic use of the colour (with references to the famous “Tableau” by Piet Mondrian), and by bespoke lighting fittings. In addition, the atrium at 6 and 8 of via Legnano boasts an original lozenge plasterboard ceiling.
Although the works were completed over a relative short time, the preliminary study phase went through some substantial variations. Indeed, before reaching the final option, Gho' designed a series of completely different options including the construction of a 15-16 storey tower rising over Sempione park: an option of great modernity in line with the Milanese high-rises trend of the period. The lack of an agreement over this point however took the designer to opt for the scheme which was then built; a further option exists, with a longer block along via Albertini.
Bibliography about this work:
AA.VV., Milano oggi / Milan today, Edizioni Milano Moderna, Milano 1957, p.54
A Milano in “Domus” n.342, 1958, p.3
Roberto Aloi, Nuove architetture a Milano, Hoepli, Milano 1959, pp.259-263
“Vitrum” n.108, 1959
Agnoldomenico Pica (a cura di), Architettura moderna in Milano, Ariminum, Milano 1964
Jolanda Ventura (a cura di), Gigi Gho': progetti e architetture 1950-1995, [s.e.], 1997, pp.50-59
Giuliana Gramigna, Sergio Mazza, Milano. Un secolo di architettura milanese dal Cordusio alla Bicocca, Hoepli, Milano 2001, p.300
Maria Vittoria Capitanucci, Il professionismo colto nel dopoguerra, Abitare, Milano 2012, pp.62-65
Karl Kolbitz (a cura di), Entryways of Milan / Ingressi di Milano, Taschen, Berlin 2017, p.29
AA.VV., Milano oggi / Milan today, Edizioni Milano Moderna, Milano 1957, p.54
A Milano in “Domus” n.342, 1958, p.3
Roberto Aloi, Nuove architetture a Milano, Hoepli, Milano 1959, pp.259-263
“Vitrum” n.108, 1959
Agnoldomenico Pica (a cura di), Architettura moderna in Milano, Ariminum, Milano 1964
Jolanda Ventura (a cura di), Gigi Gho': progetti e architetture 1950-1995, [s.e.], 1997, pp.50-59
Giuliana Gramigna, Sergio Mazza, Milano. Un secolo di architettura milanese dal Cordusio alla Bicocca, Hoepli, Milano 2001, p.300
Maria Vittoria Capitanucci, Il professionismo colto nel dopoguerra, Abitare, Milano 2012, pp.62-65
Karl Kolbitz (a cura di), Entryways of Milan / Ingressi di Milano, Taschen, Berlin 2017, p.29
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