FLEXIBLE DOMESTIC SPACES: THE ENVELOPES OF THREE 1950S BUILDINGS IN MILAN

Abstract

The challenge of manipulating the boundaries of a high-rise building through the technical flexibility of the envelope provides a compelling argument for understanding the relationship between the interior and exterior of the dwelling. A façade, defined as a threshold and capable of accommodating a use or activity within its thickness, can generate flexibility in the domestic space. The façades of postwar Milanese collective housing are a global paradigm of 20th-century architecture. Technological innovation resulting from industrialisation enabled the integration of urban landscape construction with typological innovation, responding to new ways of life. We propose a research method by scales based on the construction of drawings and models to analyse three cases of collective housing, particularly their perimeter as an object of study. We refer to the thick envelope of the Condominio XXI Aprile by Asnago and Vender, the stratification and overlap of layers in the building on Via Dezza by Gio Ponti, and the folded and modulated skin of the building on a Quadronno by Mangiarotti and Morassutti. This triad presents three approaches, enabling the identification of various perimeter flexibility strategies and reflecting on their potential application in minimal housing of the present and future. Consequently, it will be possible to adapt to the specific requirements of a changing society and climate.