Casa Calipso / Degli Esposti Architetti

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The project, named Casa Calipso, is part of our research on modern Milanese syntax, with specific reference to the periods of the 20th century – notably Rationalism in the inter-war period and Reconstruction – up to today’s reactivation by various authors.Text description provided by the architects.The intervention is a replacement through the demolition of a commercial building at Via Leone Tolstoi 87, Milan. The new building, exclusively for residential use, has 6 above-ground floors each accommodating 2-5 housing units, plus a penthouse and upper penthouse divided into 2 side-by-side duplex units, and a basement garage.The interplay between multiple parts is a recurring feature of Milan’s modern buildings, such as Gardella’s Casa Tognella, Asnago and Vender’s Condominio XXI Aprile, and the Latis condo in collaboration with Cupello. Another recurring feature of the Milanese Modern is the use of frames, either in the more substantial geometry, such as in Figini and Pollini’s Via Broletto residential building or in their horizontal skyscraper on Via Harar; or in the lightweight geometry of the small metal frame, like in Giancarlo Malchiodi’s building on Via Anelli, and in Guglielmo Mozzoni’s delicate diaphragms on Via Fatebenefratelli and Via Corridoni.The design idea for Casa Calipso is based on the juxtaposition of three bodies, a larger one near the intersection of the streets and two smaller ones connecting with buildings on the adjoining lots. The larger body is a pure volume, screened on the sides facing the streets by a white, double-row frame – complemented by syncopated partitions and containing outdoor dining loggias – and finished with a white penthouse and upper penthouse set back from the façade line, thereby carving out generous terraces. The smaller bodies are pure volumes, crowned by a white frame, echoing the frame of the larger body and framing two terraces for the third- and fourth-floor units.