This is a true piece of the city featuring the combined presence of several activities, which is also reflected in the buildings’ orientation according to their intended functions. Equally unusual is the flexibility achieved by the uniform distribution of systems, the adoption of projecting floors, and a 90-centimetre composition module.
The buildings’ architectural value relates not so much to their individual qualities as their arrangement in the spaces they overlook. Indeed, this was the setting for some shots in Antonioni’s film La Notte in 1961, which presented a cross-section of early 1960s’ Milan at the height of the economic boom.
One tall apartment and office block, set east-west, bridges an internal street and has living rooms facing south.
Another nine-storey block rises perpendicular to the street and serves as a residence. It is well protected to the north and faces south. A narrow, all-glazed, six-storey office block on the north side is linked to the nine-storey building by a high-level walkway. A low block defines the alignment on Via Rugabella.
Other significant buildings by Luigi Moretti :
Casa Albergo (with E. Rossi), 1948, Via Camillo Golgi; Via Edoardo Bassini; Via Celeste Clericetti
Casa Albergo (now Hotel Ibis, with E. Rossi), 1948, Via Camillo Finocchiaro Aprile; Via Lazzaretto