caption
The masterplan for the new Cascina Merlata social housing area proposes a dense residential quarter of high volumes alternated with common gardens, the design of two residential towers and the open spaces interprets this scheme and reinforces its urban character.
The design of two residential towers and the open spaces interprets the scheme of the master plan and reinforces its urban character putting the attention to maximizing public spaces and common areas. With high-level energy performances and extremely limited cost and implementation times, the project gives a convincing architectural response to the theme of contemporary “residential buildings”, capable of generating a strong sense of domesticity and urbanity, while becoming a “landmark”.
Two high rise buildings extend upwards to achieve long views over the landscape, reducing their size on the upper floors in a stepped profile that generates a kind of “canyon” between the two buildings; this gap creates an important visual axis for the project and a dialogue between the buildings and the open spaces.
The triangular pilasters – light in color contrasting with the dark recesses – generate a façade motif that includes all the windows, while the balconies are grouped in large figures distinguished by glass railings giving a strong horizontal theme.
On the South side, a tall, slender portico connects the two buildings, creating a jagged profile that interacts with the common open space and allows a uniformed distribution of the two buildings, contributing to the perception of the environment as domestic.
caption