Living in Milan

214 Pages·1988·26.7 MB·English

by  Paolo Gallo

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LIVING IN MILAN

ABITARE A MILANO
INDICE GENERALE

PREFRZIONE / PREFACE (PROLK GALLO)

(G IN MILAN / ABITARE K MILANO

CONTENTS

1 ASSOCIATY DESIGM-F MAROWT, 4 PISCOE,
{SNBRDI,R. CATTANEO
‘M. MERLIN,¢.M1OFR

C8720 PRANCET RIVA
S-TEBINO .LOMAZZ,X. SNK
CSTs, L.RABOM

AKI O.LAUDA

SD. §. GUIDARIM, BSALYADED
cas0LD

DeCLIORE, ML SERVETTO ARCETTETITASSOCIEN

SHORE
‘oso D ARCHMTETTURR SIMONE MICHEL

FEFERTORIO / INVENTORY

6

10
yan pemeabi Permeable spaces 2
‘oa plarzadomostia /Kdomeste lama 8
irene srtateice /Rreitecteal ees %
Somoclion plats / Fass dcempestion %
hota invert Introvert andscapes %
Menor eoslangerase /Coalersgorary memes 5
Phos espreslenns/Exprssene pathos 5
‘lngavte ron Renewed harmonies 8
Dfsasalumieoa/ umineus dynamite ”
Design daccisone/ Designer wtg:toe 8

CCnsaminaan ia oui‘ / bale eaeonee
Fates cette alate
‘isanza ever fever elegans
im ce yt of ight
Memors ingen Maries incr
Mineo aims.
Sperimentaionl a lari / Rs experi
at bibles Libary eras
Progen abet / Panning feeders
Tenant plant / Puig teases
(Comenesazon plastic / Plastic interpensta
‘oa nfondaions /Refonadtion
Trsfgeaiea /Tnaigeatine

Contest metaich/ Meta conse
‘tells dala eens / Teena workshop, x

SCHEDETECNICHE /TECHNIGALDATR 2.4
FORNITORI / SUPPLIERS
PROGETTISTI / DESIGNERS

230
PREFACE

This book establishes an unusual and refreshing
rucedenl ‘or publietone on archtecture by rarow=
2g is spew'ram ewnicsvoly "9 home dosica as expe~
fused hora in tie Lombard eapstal, a tiome that
oilers arate chance 3 apply a anitary ane crear
epproad: to fw spesifes of the phenomenon, and 70
sare exent cet a new yerdstck for this type of
neuiy, thereby caetcasine withthe ten Sagarentary
approach edosted by secor magazines which, even
in the case of special monograpaic :ssaes, ‘ond 19 ay
Undue erapaasis or the innovenve aspects ofthe e~
jects discussed. Walle ine set of picecte discussed
Frere canpot clam 19 3e an exhaustie Weak nent o Ihe
‘subject Dot eve a ayslanalie se-mphing, “hey shew
Casa sone of the nove sbikig ane nevi trends
Under Way ma Manone arse dee ge tolay
"The character and datign of the domeatic enviton-
Tent ig one oF the plane way ary lage city express
9 is ‘advo. sar Treve*ora seme a8 ne sur
priso tat many sector publicetiors devote thelr aton-
tion phe domests architecture ofa single city be
New York, London, of Paris Given the Lon:bare casi-
tes redoubtable Estory cf exploration in a folie of
Cesign and the solid ieputicn os urivasly a2
tures, one can nardly wonder ‘hs: Mian is syacny
mots wih Geaigr and fashion the wae! ze
That sa.d, Nat's donc ec teciune and che die
til lifeatyle of te Mil-newe them aelves do net nec
sul cage For wari remaeis al or ret peri
cig, var roeeally tha cya anenien totale works
bee wavered, terishing its resuation as ¢ zailslezer
ata generetor of new ideas ens imaginative focuses
¢f social ageregeicn ‘3 reaction the citys planers
acd inhabitants have moraly heightened Hey quel
for quay i che cesign of tas living uni: isl ec cr
the specfc featunes thal populate 1. Whanca a cari
cus distinction pathags aalvmom ng” Fe ety ene
Skabitiag” it For many Milanssn, the home is a
sofas sacra harbor we epee rer the wan
Sua su:adee Buta Chri Norhere-Schi2 pois
cov in hia seminal woes em Fate dee gr, the concert
Sf reluce dees not automaticaly enrall the arubilancn
sf the world about a; fis omensisly a lace in which
tke indbidtal gathers hie memores of bat word, and
arranges them in zelaticr. wil ave>yaay ke
Uistcrically speaking, Man's architecture has a vadi-
ton of being invarslcoking, Asif sy of ize, “ae sly
chooses to sequester ‘aay than paiada “ toasutes
Here the plessures of prvess hie ars eniecs privat,
and waatever charing tarspiras is the ras: eda

erate decision. And will ' is comentonal wisder
‘hat @ home is ky definiuon an enclave, an oasis,
sense of privacy and reserve is made keene: ©
nature of *he urhen fabric, the building type, an
our case by the distn=t mode by which the Manes
interac: a the sccial level As ify reaction, this 1=.-
cece and the paysical texure of the city aas Zoster=
‘ot domestic uileriox an egproaca ‘ha often B
rev ground with respect to oe: elles, wicxe “he
ferent sosia, oullock and mozea give Tice :0 a
Hlamizoyent view cl private anteriores. The shit
emphasis urser way is from. spacce desigua:sd £2
ccolleative cruticn teward those for ezivare enjeymer
‘Tho dintictive Oevor of the Nilanose resicence o
‘gces ben-iin-bens with the criteria of the installa:
architectire whose properties have a value in &
cam right. Moreover, the exy s ranks of practicing
architects undovstediy have a special privilege 25
thei clients are usually key players of the worlse o
fashion, art, culture. shotography, Cusinese, oth=:=
‘may have less money to thcw erourd but are bod
well-equipped e10 partisan reveplve

Glalegue ita Ihe ce

ruil Fynersy heween shew and erchitee:, wx
cultural Faggage texts to foster a common vs! of
the comestic ervironment’s very purpose

History has skovm that itis aways a certain cles
‘person that spurs innvericn chead, and the dé
‘panorama in Milan follows the eeme pate-n, With
flourishing “collusion” ketween an enligatened.
informe client ard the city’s Geeply rooted arc

tural trection, che concepts that emerge freque:
slray -a1 Oulside Lue usual vonventioms and estab

‘The rerviss have inernesioral resonance.
‘This book takes # close look at this characteriz
aspect of Milan look-ag beyond :he individual scl
tions o the projects theraselves and thelr wice var
cf idiom: to demonstrate that @ vacle gereration ot
moder designe:s are now capable c! freely exp!

ing their ideas of home design having :etisoned n=
conceptual trammele and theories by which certain
funaioas of domestic architects wore Naled to be o:
Virlualy universe) epplcatian, whateva: the siluation
Cite olher band, thece is growing exidence Brat he

as brea dofintively divhucred trom bis

ere and -widered snore: acceansihie No rare =
Gemiurge, torey's architect's no: permited to induige
fomself and tis personal ideas, irrespective of the
feeds and inclinations of who is to inka the house
and occupy the very spaces being designed.

The history of architecture has showm the feility of
applying standardized paremeters tc acme design. On
the contrary, the home is en ideal arena for playirg out
song individual formulas, a piace in which the
Sccupant contrives a fully pereonalzec eyetem of

‘og Without doubt this psy cuclogival diciarsion
fog and Lama desigi lias bacomia univeally accap-
fed but iz. Milan this awareness is interwoven wll a
‘eeen understanding o! desiga basics, including the
puroly acstholic potential, The culccre ia a rich
Banonly of invention that is pernaps more noticesh'e
ere tan in ofher eties The open acknawlergrren of
the crea wie of architosme as an essentia| amuctir-
{ng ‘ores moans that Milenese komos sometimes veer
off sharply ftom. corensional ideas of decor, ara fem
‘he rather qenorie instances of gpartaneity Walch may
bbe pleasing to the eve but bring litle eclvancement 2
the culuze of interior design. Fer th:s reason, many
Milanese imeric-s constute zathentic forms of arch:
tecture and not wnerely decorative ‘linings! as it were,
whence the apparent austerity of Mianese architec:
‘tue and inten design, bot being outviasc expres-
sions of the citys characterie:c intellectual zigcz.

in the process o: documenting the intricaciee of tis
area of dango, the acak also maps current philoss

phy 2 madarn ome dee gr through a select gam of
bow projects, Tunlrating he diversity present in trond
‘and lypo‘ogicel variety which all testify 19 the sic

ping away of cefne: layers of modern dogma and
precenstitied linguistic codes, leying bare a tres
‘eur ouflook based: on tae idea of space, Tae

lined us hete axe ample evdence that Milas archi-
tecture hes come of age ard can exercise its fair in
ighty personalizec and often innzvativa poetics, each
(cre a tuly contemporary expression of Lome design.

Seting aside a projects sefulable close inferrelalin
vith its war comet cr host bulding ~ n some eases
Ccheracterless ~ ga0a of tasse designs encapaulatas
istinct mode of Lving tha: combines the ect o
requirements and exrestatone of the cliea! exc dove
tall these with the pernonel aptitude of she arch eet
{this way ¢he layout oritaria applied are transforma
into authentic oxprossiars af ways ef exseriencing the
omostic environmert. [many cases the vesticticrs
oncd by the site were overcome, o- thel: feanzes
imagreted wih the new desig, Decomiag organic

componen's of the new scheme Stmniarly the sdiom
and architectural vocabulary show remarkable variety,
and ratker thar sugges: an uacenlyizg lack of ili
focus, they are a physical marfastalion of the arc
tect’s personal research itto the significance of inari-
of desiga ard afford a bnliant occasion for putting
ideas info practice. Instead of amp3jing an unfocused
laraism of design language, te often stikang clfer

encee of approach and sheer vaziely of results,
aclueved ur the projects showcased ee evines an.
avecarching unily in balk parseption anc epplicion

4 umly thal is intr-ic to the Milanese acahitectra
experience.

Tn these projects we discover a substantial distanse
fiom *he idan of fe horne as an entity distint fem its
architecture, of interiors divorced fom the vcluries
‘and space they inhabit. Instezc xe fc new emphasis
or compositor in zhe det a more focused
choice of materials, and the rerticulers of the furrish-
‘age ~ whether these be elegant rewezkines of classic
design cr custom pieces with a modern thrust, Audit
's by dim of tae structuring “uncton 0° thelr arcaitew-
jure that Milanese komes become insvapes of the
“ahabitan's psyche: the process of dentica:icn inher

ent te the act cf dwelig in a given piace is enacted
‘through the erganization anc form ¢f 3 spaze, ard
‘heace through ite arcaiteoture. This emderses the
‘roton thet the truc home is the form the architecture
lends it, a acting wick the inhabitant enbences wth
‘select memories, porsoncl projections ard subjective
figures of he cumside wor'd, confirming Wittgens:ein
ddiccar. "I am my wor" And such an assestion may
dby particularly applicable tc Milan.

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