Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Casa Pirelli, Milano (Italy), 1966

Via dei Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro, 6, Milano, Italy

Luigi Caccia Dominioni is among the most authoritative interpreters of the traditional Milanese and Lombard architecture due to a disciplined adherence to reality, where every architectural solution is always reduced to a strict logic, the result a careful harmony with suitable techniques and materials. Characteristics of a relentless study design, never tied to a theory written or taught but entrusted to the crystallization of constructed objects, in which the essence of a craft shines through in “sense of proportion” and “respectful execution”, outlining its original composition.

Casa Pirelli is located in great area of Milan, Brera district. Project of the building has been started in 1962. Building was completed in 1965. Residential building has three floors.

Compact volume, the square side, the entrance on the side short and the rear garden make this building a sort of urban villa. In confirmation of this character is the target house, directly linked to a very particular clientele: in the early sixties, Leopoldo Pirelli, Emanuele Dubini, Adolfo Soldini and Vico Gavazzi, already linked by relations of friendship and professional commissioned to ‘Milanese architect design of this three-storey building for their homes.

Pirelli’s flat has much special interior spaces, one of which is living room. In particular, to Giulia and Leopoldo Pirelli presents upstairs a large law library with windows cut obliquely to frame the tower of the church of San Simpliciano.

Dominioni framed the space of living room with a window and opened it up for the gallery, so the frame can capture daily changes in the landscape and nature from the point of the building’s user, or daily routine of inhabitants, when noticed  from the distanced observer outside. As a furnishing of this room appear three sofas, surrounding rectangular coffetable made from glass and wood. There is also a mobile (podnozek) besides. Every piece of furniture is (skierowany) to the great window, as if inhabitants were supposed to watch a spectacle of nature over the glass instead of locking themselves in their own bussines or television.

Complexity of architecture is shown in the design of roof and ceiling. Complicated ceiling, based on the two arcs, forms whole shape of the space. Arcs starts from the pillar at the interior gallery and and one of them finishes at the great window, when the second one finishes at the bookshelf. Ceiling composed space withs its rounness.

There is another gallery, which can be accessed by the stairs. It leads to another set of rooms.

Between living room and another room is an opening in the wall, accented with a plate of dark wood placed slightly low, made of the same material as floor. On the same wall there is a bookshelf, finished in dark wood.

About the path of Caccia Dominioni towards, it is interesting to note that, compared to the first project ideas, which included the top floor of the main facade a large horizontal cut to accommodate a strip window of clear rationalist, has opted for a more traditional series of square openings, confirming the attempt to set up a civil architecture inspired by tradition.

References:

• Casa Pirelli at ordinearchitetti.mi.it
• Luigi Caccia Dominioni at Wikipedia
• Luigi Caccia Dominioni at ordinearchitetti.mi.it
• Casa Pirelli at architectour.net
• Luigi Caccia Dominioni at larchitetto.it
• Molte visuali: interni a Milano in «Domus», n. 454, pp. 20-28, 1967
• C. Santini L’architettura milanese di Luigi Caccia Dominioni in «Ottagono», n. 6, pp. 90-95, 1967
• Wie sie wohnen, wie sie leben in «Schöner Wohnen», pp. 110-115, febbraio 1967
• Volte e verde nel centro della città. La casa di Leopoldo e Giulia Pirelli in «Vogue Italia», agosto 1968
• V. Vercelloni L’autoritratto di una classe dirigente: Milano 1860-1970 in «Controspazio», n. 4-5, pp. 11-23, 1969
• Un avant qui n’a pas reniè le passè in «La Maison Française», dicembre 1968-gennaio 1969
• E. Triunveri Caccia Dominioni e Milano, Itinerario 131 in «Domus», n. 790, 1997
• Gramigna, S. Mazza Milano. Un secolo di architettura milanese dal Cordusio alla Bicocca Hoepli, p. 368, Milano 2001
• M. Negri, S. Rebora La città borghese, Milano 1880-1969 Catalogo della mostra, pp. 177-180, Milano 2002