Albini Office

At the junction of two streets and two neighborhoods, one of houses between and after the war, and the other of houses of the 60s, a family of lawyers wished for an office of their own. A new building was meant to rise instead of a small and old family house that would have kept all memories only by its simple existence. However, beyond the intimate memory, the young lawyers have expressed their desire to build a landmark in the neighborhood, at a crossroads. The theme of the project required from us a contemporary expression, solid and transparent at the same time, a grading of spaces and a partition based on their team’s capability. We have worked with samples, as a tailor would do, so as to fit perfectly for those whom we outline the spaces for. The project is a scale exercise. The town planning regulations for a small lot, for a house in our case, made us to carefully analyze all joint formulas for surfaces which put on a simple, indivisible volume. The light withdrawals, sizes and positions of the holes, beyond the connections with interior spaces, aimed to match so as to be able to control the problem of scaling. In the vicinity a block of flats twice as high, and beyond it one three time taller and bigger, made us try transitions and mediations using all means available. The existing mature vegetation, giving up fences and amplifying the public space, combining materials and textures, represents the repertory of elements in fitting into that background. Basically an adequate architecture must find the proper balance from which the customer’s aspirations for landmarks are not to be missing.