The nine-storey residential building Residenze Carlo Erba northeast of the center of Milan, in an area with a rigid regular layout, is inscribed in a triangular plot: its serpentine plan made it possible to achieve the required area (14,000 m2) while limiting the height. At the same time, there was a place for greenery on the site, continuing the park adjacent to the west, and the neoclassical building of the beginning of the 20th century overlooking the boulevard turned out to be organically included in the new building. Now it serves as the main entrance of the residential complex.
The composition is based on a sequence of layers. The lower one, clad in travertine, with traditional proportions of windows and loggias, is reminiscent of a typical urban “palazzo”. The fourth floor, receding from the façade line in comparison with the lower and upper tiers, is a mezzanine with a lot of glazing. Above, the marble zone begins, as well as a grating of white enamelled metal - a recognizable trick of Peter Eisenman.
The fifth and sixth floors on the outside are quite "regular", and they open onto the courtyard in strips of loggias. The house ends with “city villas” with spacious terraces. The project budget was 40 million euros.
