The work is intended in general to return this symbolic building in the Brera district to the state of an architectural image that remains as close as possible to the original while adapting it to contemporary uses within the context of a renewed urban decorum. The building, designed in the early twentieth century to house the studios of the artists who gravitated around Brera, initially had no direct access to the street. It was built on the inside of the block, largely surrounded by orchards and gardens, which ensured quiet and a fully natural setting. This relationship still exists, despite the urban transformation of the context, thanks to the public park now on Via Tommaso da Cazzaniga.
The project involves the restoration of the building and improvements to the system of distribution for the parts essentially visible from the public street. The restoration project includes the recovery of the studios, to be used as workshops and exhibition spaces. Alterations to the distribution system will entail the completion of the staircases and balconies through the construction of a new neutral volume built out of perforated metal panels and glass.
This will match the design but not the proportions of the restored window grid of the existing walkways. This volume rises to the level of the ground floor and is also marked by the new fully glazed main entrance from Via Tommaso da Cazzaniga.
TECHNICAL DRAWINGS
CREDITS
YEAR: 2013-2019
LOCATION: Milan
TYPOLOGY: Artists’ workplaces building
CLIENT: City of Milano and Porta Tenaglia S.r.l.
WITH: Studio Berlucchi, Aldo Fontana
COLLABORATOR: Giovannino Casu