> Building that can only be visited from the outside

The redevelopment involves both blocks of a building in Milan by Pietro Portaluppi. The project interprets the pre-existing building, welcoming its complexity and respecting its canons. The addition of a contemporary element establishes an interaction between the different stylistic features of the two existing buildings. Each of the three contrasting elements that now make up the architectural complex establishes its own boundary that respects the project's history.

The complex consists of two buildings of three and five floors respectively, which are currently occupied by two tenants and, having been designed almost twenty years apart, are different in style.
The restoration of the basement floor in the existing internal courtyard resulted in the creation of a lower- ground courtyard, which is overlooked by showrooms and meeting rooms. On the courtyard’s ground floor, overlooking the patio, amenity spaces were created in the building to originally house garages. Characterised by a style that differs from both buildings, the floor added on top of the low building emphasises their historical differences. The inclusion of a metal mesh – brass-plated on the outside and black on the inside – between the two chambers of the building's glass curtain wall, turned its surface opaque, at the same time harmonizing it with the surrounding materials and offering protection from the sun.

A thorough clean of the tower's rationalist façade has brought to light the bright grey colour of the Ceppo di Grè. The window frames were also covered with glass, thus maintaining the essential quality of the design of the façades of both buildings.
The modularity of the interior design for the offices of the international law firm that occupies the low building was combined with the client's request for elegance, flexibility and privacy. The fully glazed and soundproofed offices are bright and spacious. Featuring light oak furniture and finishes, the library creates a comfortable environment ideal for concentration.