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Casa Caccia Dominioni
Piazza Sant`Ambrogio 16, Milano
1947 - 1949
The
house on Piazza Sant' Ambrogio 16 was designed by Luigi Caccia
Dominioni soon after the war. This new building rose on a location,
which had been the family's ancient residence since a long time. This residence existed in this situation as early as the fourteenth century,
even if it was redesigned subsquently. This ancient residence was completely destroyed in August 1943 by war action.
As a consequence of the war, Caccia Dominioni had concerened himsel primarily with industrial design and some interior design projects during the last years.
So he worked for example with the Castiglioni brothers on the design for radio sets. When Caccia Dominioni was faced with architecture again, after the long
war-driven interruption, he not assumed the mainstream style, but adoptend an extremely personal language, which is considered to be the result of his
cultural and social maturity. This project has gone on to become a milestone in post-war Milanese architecture, and a similar experimentation can also be seen
in the Tognella House near the Sempione Park which was designed by Ignazio Gardella in the same period.
These conditions make the building an interesting example in the large body of his oevre. This design clarifies his thougth which respects the pre-existent
environmental conditions. This very first building manifests the profound roots from which the design approach by Caccia Dominioni originates.
He creates an architecture which is sensitive to the nuances of the most authentic Milanese architecture, equally if it is aristocratic or spontaneous.
The narrower façade on the corner is completely clad with stone and occupies the entire depth of the building. It is marked by five uniform pairs of
full-height openings with the shutters fitting into the thicknes of the wall construction. The stone cladding turns the corner and continues along the main façade,
which is facing the Piazza Sant'Ambrogio. At this place the stone defines a solid, horizontal base that is interrupted in the middle by the entrance.
A slightly arched portal spanning the entire width marks the entrance. The level immediately on top of the base consists of a loggia carved into the mass of
the structure and punctuated by a regular rhythm of circular columns. The same loggia is repeated on the entire top floor of the same elevation, which is
capped off with a flat, overhanging eave that accentuates the effect of shadow evoked by that level's dark colouring. Between the two loggias,
the second and third residential floors are finished in plaster and punctuated by a sequence of rectangular French windows located at the centre of each span.
These two levels appear to be suspended between the two rows of loggias. The stone cladding of the base section further emphasises the chromatic
contrast with the hazel-coloured plaster used for the middle section.
After passing the entrance hall in the centre of the front façade, one arrives at the rectangular building's two stairwells.
The internal façade is very simple and finished in plaster. All of the residential floors have continuous terraces with Lombard-style metal parapet.
With this building, Luigi Caccia Dominioni inaugurated the circular staircase spiralling around a central elevator, a design feature that reappears in many of his projects.
which had been the family's ancient residence since a long time. This residence existed in this situation as early as the fourteenth century,
even if it was redesigned subsquently. This ancient residence was completely destroyed in August 1943 by war action.
As a consequence of the war, Caccia Dominioni had concerened himsel primarily with industrial design and some interior design projects during the last years.
So he worked for example with the Castiglioni brothers on the design for radio sets. When Caccia Dominioni was faced with architecture again, after the long
war-driven interruption, he not assumed the mainstream style, but adoptend an extremely personal language, which is considered to be the result of his
cultural and social maturity. This project has gone on to become a milestone in post-war Milanese architecture, and a similar experimentation can also be seen
in the Tognella House near the Sempione Park which was designed by Ignazio Gardella in the same period.
These conditions make the building an interesting example in the large body of his oevre. This design clarifies his thougth which respects the pre-existent
environmental conditions. This very first building manifests the profound roots from which the design approach by Caccia Dominioni originates.
He creates an architecture which is sensitive to the nuances of the most authentic Milanese architecture, equally if it is aristocratic or spontaneous.
The narrower façade on the corner is completely clad with stone and occupies the entire depth of the building. It is marked by five uniform pairs of
full-height openings with the shutters fitting into the thicknes of the wall construction. The stone cladding turns the corner and continues along the main façade,
which is facing the Piazza Sant'Ambrogio. At this place the stone defines a solid, horizontal base that is interrupted in the middle by the entrance.
A slightly arched portal spanning the entire width marks the entrance. The level immediately on top of the base consists of a loggia carved into the mass of
the structure and punctuated by a regular rhythm of circular columns. The same loggia is repeated on the entire top floor of the same elevation, which is
capped off with a flat, overhanging eave that accentuates the effect of shadow evoked by that level's dark colouring. Between the two loggias,
the second and third residential floors are finished in plaster and punctuated by a sequence of rectangular French windows located at the centre of each span.
These two levels appear to be suspended between the two rows of loggias. The stone cladding of the base section further emphasises the chromatic
contrast with the hazel-coloured plaster used for the middle section.
After passing the entrance hall in the centre of the front façade, one arrives at the rectangular building's two stairwells.
The internal façade is very simple and finished in plaster. All of the residential floors have continuous terraces with Lombard-style metal parapet.
With this building, Luigi Caccia Dominioni inaugurated the circular staircase spiralling around a central elevator, a design feature that reappears in many of his projects.