Modern Milan is experiencing a new era of rediscovery. Following Palazzo Galbani, Gioiaotto, the Palazzo della Permanente tower and Torre GalFa, amongst others, it is now the turn of a lesser-known building by Luigi Vietti: the Milanese headquarters of Banca Popolare di Novara, completed in 1979 on via Santa Margherita. A rigorously modernist urban work, designed by the architect who had experimented with a vastly different architectural language across Italy’s holiday resorts, from Liguria and the Costa Smeralda to the Alps.
The building, situated in the financial heart of the city around Piazza Cordusio, is a clear example of the International Style. Whilst in outlying areas – from Liguria to the Costa Smeralda and the Alps – Vietti had developed a design language that bridged the gap between rationalism and vernacular architecture, in the city the architect adopted a rigorous modernist vocabulary that nevertheless managed to engage harmoniously with its surroundings. A grid of large glazed panels, framed by aluminium joinery, marks the façade, aligning with the floor levels, cornices and eaves of the adjacent nineteenth-century building; the set-back of the ground floor transforms the building into a volume that appears to float above the street, emphasizing its ethereal character.
The details of the project are not known, but the objectives focus on improving the building’s performance, comfort and environmental sustainability, whilst preserving its original architectural configuration and destination as an office block.sustainability, whilst preserving its original use and architectural character.