A new landmark has emerged in Milan: the new headquarters of the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation has opened. In an area of large-scale urban transformation, a new masterpiece by Swiss architects has filled the gap where cars had been racing for decades. The presentation of the first sketch in the Milanese society began numerous discussions about the project: among the issues discussed then and continuing to excite the townspeople were the complex history of the site, modern urban aspirations, a new type of social and cultural "incubator", the role of a private foundation and the invitation of foreign architects.
Italian urban heritage has always been challenging to add to it. The myriad of coexisting subtle historical layers simultaneously limited opportunities for new projects and opened up new perspectives for work. Even if post-industrial Milan can be considered a place where very large renovation projects are successfully implemented, the weight of the already existing environment makes any new "intervention" questionable. The new headquarters of the foundation named after the outstanding Italian publisher - is this not yet another "inoculation" of modernity, if we recall
a term coined for the Italian pavilion of the 2014 Venice Biennale by its curator Cino Zucchi? Does it do justice to the subtlety and complexity of Milanese heritage enough?
From the very beginning, local adherents of tradition accused Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, a duo of very strict and consistent masters in their work, for a lack of understanding of the architectural culture of Milan. These critics probably forgot about the ability of Herzog & de Meuron to radically rethink the very nature of public spaces, they forgot about their works, which became important milestones of modern architectural discussion: the reconstruction of the Tate Modern Gallery in London, stadiums in Munich, Basel and Beijing, cultural the Caixa Forum in Madrid, the Museum of Cultures in Basel.
The Feltrinelli Porta Volta is the first permanent building designed by Herzog and de Meuron in the city of their teacher, Aldo Rossi. It demonstrates that even surrounded by constraining urban fabrics and rigid traditions, very modern architecture can be created. The urban structure of Porta Volta dates back to the Spanish Walls, the 16th century fortifications, of which only a wasteland remained. Basel architects with their project solved the problem of this gap at the urban planning and architectural level.
Their building is just a skeleton or "nude": space, structure and facade are the same, any component of the building belongs to these three categories at the same time. This simplicity reflects the approach characteristic of the early works of Herzog & de Meuron. It's a return to basics, a simplification of form that is pure logic, as in their 1990s projects - a warehouse for Ricola, a winery in the Napa Valley. On the other hand, this nudity and coherence of structural and spatial elements also draws on the tradition of Milanese Gothic. In a linear "squeezed out" form and repetition of the same element of this building - a reference to both urban architecture and an allusion to the long houses of the "kashina" type typical for rural Lombardy. It is easy to see that the same motives were important for Aldo Rossi, just remember his Gallaratese quarter. A fascination with structure is characteristic of the H & dM approach, but it is also a very Milanese trait.
The complex, 188 meters long and 32 meters high, not only attracts attention, but is also slightly confusing due to its sharp-angled and large size. The architects aimed to "create something very traditional and very modern", "simple but surprising." The scale and geometry of a building is perceived differently from different angles. Its appearance in the future is changing all the time, making it impossible to assess the real dimensions of the building.
Huge glass panels, placed between concrete ribs, give the building complete transparency: this puritanical approach is determined by the authors' penchant for minimalism and the emphasis on the simplicity they value so much. Also, glass erases the border between interior space and surroundings; the circular panorama of Milan from the interior is one of the strongest impressions of the building; the perception of the city from the building is a tool that H & dM have used in the past. In this case, visitors to the building feel like they are part of the city and society, and this is not only a game with the viewer, but also a reflection of the role played by the Feltrinelli Foundation in Italy.
The new headquarters of the foundation is conceived as a meeting place, a space for constant public discussion. This is the “architecture of the soul” that can lift our daily life above the bustle. Inside there are 12 kilometers of archival shelves, a library with 270,000 volumes and 16,000 periodicals: this is one of the largest European centers of historical, political, social research, which corresponds to the main intention of the founder of the foundation, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli - his brainchild should serve as a modern platform for discussions. open and useful to everyone.
The distribution of functions in the building is combined with the meaning of each of them. The multifunctional hall, the heart of the building, is located on the second floor and is available to everyone for informal meetings, conferences, film screenings, exhibitions and performances. This is the basis for the foundation's new research program: its goal is to stimulate scientific discussion, while simultaneously opening it up to a wider public through experiments with new forms of information presentation. The reading room is located under an impressive gable roof, where you can study materials and books from the library and archives. This space is an allegory of traditional architecture. If the most valuable things were kept in the "kashins" above, then in the building of the Feltrinelli Foundation there is a meeting place for a man and a book - a treasure, from the point of view of the great publisher. On the ground floor there is a bookstore with more than 15,000 titles, combined with a cafe. Part of the building is occupied by the Microsoft campaign office: a less important cultural function, but still a significant "hub", which will employ 600 people.
Time and the attitude of the townspeople will show whether H & dM's interpretation of modern Milan and the idea of the cultural hub of their customer, Carlo Feltrinelli, the son of Giangiacomo, are viable. They will show whether the headquarters of Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli will be a continuation of the Italian modernist approach to projects in the historical environment, or if it will prove to be another "graft" …
