MILAN – Via De Amicis: the corner that revitalizes the building
Source: Imprese Edili News
The New Project
The new development occupies the footprint of the demolished historic building, with the addition of two extra floors (raising the total height to 26.68 meters). This allowed for a reduced ground floor footprint, an expanded internal courtyard, reconstruction of the existing gross floor area (GFA), and alignment with the adjacent Cà d’Oro building.
Architecturally, the façade on Via De Amicis consists of a stone-clad base, a central plastered section with openings of varying dimensions and alignments, and a roof with clay tiles aligned with the eaves and ridge of the building at No. 29.
The six-story building aligns with the structure on its left, matching both the eaves height and stone base. The ground floor features a driveway and pedestrian entrance, along with storefronts for two retail units. The upper floors house various apartment types.
On Via De Amicis, the first two floors have regular, identical windows, while the upper floors include alternating French doors and loggias. The pitched roof incorporates small recessed terraces for attic-level apartments.
The apartments vary in size, from studios to four-room units, to meet diverse housing needs. Initially, internal walls were limited to service areas (kitchens and bathrooms), allowing tenants to configure spaces with furniture; however, this proved impractical for relocating existing furnishings.
A central staircase serves all floors down to the second basement, which houses parking spaces, cellars, and technical rooms. A car lift located in the courtyard provides access to the parking levels.
Some street-facing units include small terraces within loggias, while many apartments facing the courtyard feature large balconies. The inner façade, rich and articulated, includes balconies with masonry railings on the lower levels and transparent metal railings on the upper floors.
Existing Conditions and Preexistence
The project involved demolishing the existing structure adjacent to the historic Cà d’Oro, occupying an area of about 600 sqm. The original building was constructed and expanded throughout the 19th century.
It suffered partial destruction on the east side during WWII bombing and was subject to rough, partial reconstruction. In 2003, a redevelopment of the attic compromised its original Milanese neoclassical character.
The demolished building faced Via De Amicis with a frontage of 36 meters and a height of 15.50 meters, including four above-ground floors and a recovered attic. The basement contained storage cellars.
Details of the New Construction
The new development follows the same footprint as the demolished building and includes two additional floors (total height 26.68 m), reducing the ground-level coverage and expanding the inner courtyard while reconstructing the existing GFA and aligning with the adjacent Cà d’Oro.
The lot covers 617 sqm, with a ground-level footprint of 397 sqm. The total GFA is 1,530 sqm, and the overall volume is 4,590 cubic meters. The two basement levels accommodate 14 parking spaces, utility rooms, and cellars. The ground floor includes the entrance hall and two retail spaces, while five upper floors accommodate 22 residential units.
Architecturally, the Via De Amicis façade features a ventilated wall with Lombard stone panels at the base, a central plastered body with thermal insulation, and openings (windows, French doors, and loggias with glass railings) that are partially vertically misaligned. The clay-tile roof aligns with the eaves and ridge of building No. 29.
The courtyard-facing façade also includes a ventilated stone base, plastered central section with thermal insulation, projecting balconies, and a clay tile roof. This façade is enhanced with a double painted aluminum frame in gray, outlining an architectural border that overlays the plastered surface.
Ground-floor windows and doors are made of dark grey painted steel, while upper-floor units are white-painted wood. Windowsills, thresholds, and coping are made of white Beola stone.
Railings and other iron elements feature a simple steel design (rectangular top rail and vertical round bars) painted light grey. Other railings are made of safety-tempered glass.
The shops, driveway, and entrance hall at ground level provide visual transparency, creating direct sightlines toward the courtyard and internal garden.
Construction Phases
Despite initial demolition of the existing structure, construction was paused to assess conditions relative to the future De Amicis station of the new M4 metro line (M4 S.p.A.).
Agreements were made regarding site access and logistics. The piling, foundations, and stabilization works for the neighboring façades were coordinated and shared.
Steel piles (220 mm diameter, 12 meters tall, spaced 40 cm apart) with reinforced concrete capping beams were installed around the site’s perimeter.
Excavation was carried out in phases due to the site’s limited size, accompanied by partial foundation construction, starting from a depth of -12.15 meters.
Perimeter walls were reinforced using shaped steel frames (along No. 33) and structural mortar was applied to Cà d’Oro’s walls. The site crane was installed in the elevator shaft.
Load-bearing vertical structures (perimeter columns) and horizontal structures (solid reinforced concrete slabs) were built, followed by roofing works, installation of Portuguese tiles, copper and painted aluminum flashings, and external fixtures.
Simultaneously, perimeter and internal partition walls were built (ventilated wall or insulated plaster wall depending on type), along with thermal and acoustic insulation for floors and walls, protective layers, and subfloors. Internal and external finishes and building systems were completed in the final stage.
Construction Materials
Perimeter walls were built using two main techniques, differentiated by finish: ventilated walls and insulated plaster walls.
Ground and first-floor walls (up to the second-floor window sills on Via De Amicis and to the second-floor French door sills on the courtyard side) were finished with ventilated walls made of: 6 cm EPS graphite thermal panels, 10 cm air gap, and 3 cm horizontal slabs of Ceppo Lombardo di Gré stone.
Other exterior walls were finished with 12 cm Fortlan-Dibi thermal insulation and 1 cm plaster.
Partition walls between apartments consisted of: 1.5 cm interior plaster, 8 cm hollow brick, 1.5 cm cement mortar plaster, 12 cm Poroton P800 and Alveolater Class 45 bricks, 1.5 cm cement plaster, 5 cm Rockwool mineral wool insulation, 8 cm hollow brick, and 1.5 cm lime-gypsum plaster.
Walls between apartments and common areas consisted of: 1.5 cm interior plaster, 12 cm Poroton P800 and Alveolater Class 45 bricks, 1 cm cement mortar, 8 cm Rockwool mineral wool insulation, another 12 cm brick layer, and 1.5 cm lime-gypsum plaster.
Floor slabs were layered and differentiated between heated and unheated zones. Layers included thermal/acoustic insulation and waterproofing where required. All undersides had gypsum board ceilings.
Slabs between apartments and common areas included: wood or porcelain tile flooring (with 1.5 cm adhesive), 5 cm screed, 1 cm Isolmant Biplus acoustic insulation, 14.5 cm lightweight cellular concrete for systems, 7 cm concrete slab, 3.75 cm system gap, and 1.25 cm gypsum board.
Waterproofing was applied to all underground elements and surfaces exposed to rain, using a combination of plastomeric and elastomeric membranes or oxidized bitumen layers, all flame-applied after primer coating.
All accessory surfaces (lobby, portico, balconies, loggias, terraces, and flat roofs) received a double-layer elastic waterproof coating using Mapei’s two-component Mapelastic mortar.
Bituminous membranes were protected with 0.5 mm polypropylene separation layers. Thermal and acoustic insulation was applied to all perimeter walls and slabs exposed to outdoor temperatures.
The roof has dual pitches interrupted by the stairwell block, covered with single-pitched slabs. The roofing uses antique red clay tiles installed on metal profiles, including ridge vents, snow guards, and other accessories.
A safety line was installed along the ridge for roof maintenance, connected to the flat stairwell roof. The eaves facing Via De Amicis are protected with gypsum board enclosures over insulation and waterproofing layers. The roof hosts photovoltaic and solar panels, TV antennas, and ventilation/exhaust terminals.
Ground-floor storefronts and shop doors use thermally broken steel profiles with anti-burglary insulated glazing, in dark grey.
Other doors and windows are made of monobloc Hemlock wood, painted white, with insulated EPS-lined frames, sills, and boxes, and safety acoustic-insulated double glazing. Performance: Uw = 1.40 W/m²K, Ug = 1.1, Rw = 42 dB, air permeability class 4, water tightness class 9A, wind resistance class C3, burglary resistance WK3.
Systems
The central heating system includes fan coils and towel warmers (in bathrooms), centralized hot water generation with solar integration, and modular condensing boilers with premix burners powered by methane.
Temperature control is managed via a three-way mixing valve. Each unit has a volumetric heat meter with temperature probes and a data transmission module.
The mechanical ventilation system features high-efficiency dual-flow heat recovery units. Each unit also includes an 80-liter heat pump storage tank.
A car lift (310×580 cm) serves the two underground parking levels, with four guide rails, a hydraulic power unit, and an electrical control system. The parking access is in the inner courtyard.
The lift descends vertically to each level, opening a fire curtain and roller shutter for garage access. The system includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) with integrated control and safety sensors.
Interior Decorative Elements
Special attention was paid to the architectural finishes of shared interior spaces, especially the ground-floor entrance lobby and upper-floor landings.
The lobby features horizontal natural beech wood paneling (approx. 50 cm high) with aluminum profiles, matching the classic travertine flooring. A full-height glass wall faces the courtyard, creating a visual corridor between Via De Amicis and the internal garden.
Elevator lobbies and apartment hallways feature travertine frames around entrance doors and lowered gypsum board ceilings, with recessed or cove-mounted LED lighting guiding the pathways.
Filippo Tartaglia | Design History
“The residential building on Via De Amicis in Milan had a long design journey. The architects’ initial idea was to propose a façade that preserved the historical memory of the past. Unfortunately, the landscape commission rejected the proposal, prompting the architects to adopt a pseudo-rationalist style with hints of deconstructivism. The building replicates the original footprint, aligning with the historic building on the left and connecting at an inclined corner with a 1950s building on the right. The corner thus became the signature element of the project. To strengthen its stylistic impact, the painter Laura Panno—known for her work with French artist Jean Moureaux at the 1992 Triennale—was invited to design a mosaic reproduction of one of her paintings depicting trees, reminiscent of those that once lined the street. A kind of virtual greenery in memory of the real one—another nod to the area’s history.
One alternative design proposed using varied colors on the façade, inspired by Hundertwasser’s anti-conformist approach in Vienna a century ago—both to enrich the expressive language and help visually impaired residents identify their homes. But this idea may have been too avant-garde for a society still struggling with accessibility.
The final built solution is the result of mediation among the designers’ vision, the client’s needs, and the landscape commission’s feedback.”
