The Corner

Redevelopment of a building located at the corner of Viale Liberazione and Via Melchiorre Gioia in Milan
“The Corner” project involves the redevelopment of a building of the 1970s, property of the Generali Group, and located on the corner of Viale della Liberazione and Viale Melchiorre Gioia in Milan.
The existing building presents itself as an articulated and complex body to bring back to life through a new identity.

The “actions” of the project can be distinguished in:
1. overlay of two floors of the existing building;
2. reconstruction of the facades of the existing building, including the fronts towards the inner courtyard and those of the lower body;
3. redevelopment of the ground floor, including the porches and the shelter on Melchiorre Gioia;
5. implementation of new terraced areas both on the roof of the building and above the lower body on the inside of the court;
6. redevelopment of the building’s plant system, through the use of renewable sources and high-performance systems with low power consumption.
7. achievement of Class A and LEED Gold certification
8. adaptation of the building to the seismic and fire regulations currently in force.

NOTE: Building with energy level: Classe A (Italian label), LEED Gold

Material Used:
1. Facade cladding: Glass, by Guardian Glass, mounted on Schuco frames
Plaster, product type and label unknown
2. Flooring: Common areas: “Grolla stone”, Marmi Faedo
Services: gres tiles by Casalgrande Padana
3. Interior lighting: Metal, glass, “Blade”, Alfonso Femia /AF*Design for iGuzzini

The Corner is a building owned by Generali in Milan and located on the corner of the two major thoroughfares: Via Melchiorre Gioia and Viale Della Liberazione. It is situated in a strategically perfect location for both shopping - Corso Como with its boutiques and the prestigious Corso Como 10 store is just a few minutes away – and for relaxing - the building is opposite the “Biblioteca degli Alberi” (Library of Trees), a 90,000 sqm park where you can run, walk and enjoy real peace and quiet.

The current building is a renovated structure originally built in the 1970s. The core idea of the Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia project was to enhance the irregular structure of the building by playing with contrasts. This was achieved by the architect Femia who especially studied the building’s cladding that creates different light refractions depending on the time of day to create a live and interactive architectural experience.

The Via Melchiorre Gioia façade, made of steel and glass that varies from grey to blue, creates slight overhangs and shallow bow windows, while the frontage on Via Liberazione juggles different volumes in an interplay of light and shadow, full and empty space. Even if the two façades feature different materials, a rhythmic texture has been created that blends harmoniously with the surrounding urban spaces. iGuzzini’s role in this project was to create a series of specially made products. A customised profile, for both extruded luminaires and optics, has been positioned on all the floors in parallel lines to create general diffuse and homogeneous lighting. In the hall, on the other hand, there are customised versions of the linear iN60 luminaire with a special “chrome” finish, distributed in interrupted tracts that create a semblance of dotted lines on the ceiling. Under the porticoes, Underscore InOut luminaires have been used, again with a special extruded “chrome” finish and arranged in staggered lines that create a zig-zag pattern throughout the colonnade.