ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI, FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,

PIANIFICATORI, PAESAGGISTI E CONSERVATORI PIANIFICATORI, PAESAGGISTI E CONSERVATORI

DELLA PROVINCIA DI MILANO DELLA PROVINCIA DI MILANO

/people
Portraits of Milanese
professionalism

Luigi Caccia Dominioni

Alberto Gavazzi
Marco Ghilotti
PHOTOS BY

Vincenzo Martegani

Itinerarie s t h r o u g h M i l a n ’s a r c h i t e c t u r e
Modern architecture as a description of the city
“Itineraries through Milan’s architecture: Modern architecture
as a description of the city” is a project of the Order of
Architects Planners Landscape Architects and Conservators of
the Province of Milan and its Foundation.

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“Luigi Caccia Dominioni”

Alberto Gavazzi, Marco Ghilotti

edited by:
Alessandro Sartori, Stefano Suriano, Barbara Palazzi

photos by:
© Vincenzo Martegani

Images courtesy of:

Archivio Luigi Caccia Dominioni

on the back cover:

Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Edifici per uffici in corso Europa,
design sketch, 1953

The Foundation of the Order of Architects can be contacted

regarding any unidentified rights for visual materials
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Luigi Caccia Dominioni
An itinerary between urban
identity and Milanese roots

Luigi Caccia Dominioni is undoubtedly among the most

authoritative practioners of traditional Milanese and Lombard
architecture thanks to his disciplined adherence to reality in which
every architectural solution, while not renouncing refined formal
solutions, can always be traced back to a strict architectural logic,
the knowledgeable result of an attentive, not to mention patient,
harmony between the project’s place — it’s locus— the techniques and
materials employed. Throughout a remarkably consistent career, his
contribution appears to have established a point of contact between
the rigour of the “rationalist model” and the freedom of expression
intrinsic in the “comprehensive proposal”, without neglecting constant
observation regarding the “pre-existing context”. This brief Milanese
itinerary intends to touch on some of the cornerstones of his work
with the aim of shedding light on the characteristics of his tireless
research, one that was never linked to a written theory nor taught, but
was instead entrusted to the crystallisation of the constructed objects
in which the essence of his expertise shines through in the “sense
of appropriateness” and in a “respectful execution” that delineates
his unique compositional calligraphy. Over the course of Caccia
Dominioni’s studies and professional practice, as we are reminded by
MA Crippa, “ there are clearly legible traces of architects and designers
that contemporary historiography identifies as rationalist, organic and
historicist, but not, however, in an eclectic mixture of components.
The cultural seasons that, due to historical contingency, the
architect went through, left him with the contribution of different
accents, which he managed to make peacefully coexist, modulating
them in a reciprocal relationship that did not exclude differences
a priori.” This brief but incisive interpretation of LCD’s work is
very useful for observing, in an attempt to embark on a path of

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

understanding, the many and varied works he carried out with the
tenacious intention of wanting to integrate them with the specificity
of a place, or a landscape. The relationship between architecture and
the city provides the backdrop against which our itinerary moves and
defines the works that comprise it in order to clarify the architect’s
process of constructing an architectural project. Caccia Dominioni’s
works, which are scattered throughout the city and were often built
when the surrounding town had not yet taken on its current form,
although at times they were also located in consolidated urban
areas, can be seen as the crystallisation of an approach to design
in which the projects, in addressing urban spaces that were either
unresolved or awaiting a final configuration, tried to express and
preserve relationships, to relate to the fabric of pre-existing contexts,
re-establishing a continuity with the history of the city. The key to this
effective harmony between architecture and the city resides primarily
in the urban planning emphasis in the methodological approach to
design practiced by Caccia, a firm believer in the role of the plan as a
generative matrix of the entire project, a tool for effectively controlling
the configuration of the rooms and the functional definition of the
internal circulation, but above all, the transcription of an idea of
dynamic space inextricably linked to human movement and secondly
in a consistent “acclimatisation”(1) pursued through an “elegant”(2)
handling of iconographic elements drawn from the surrounding city
that were incorporated and reinterpreted in the projects, as well as in
material-chromatic harmony of architecture with the context. Going
through some of Caccia’s most significant works, it’s possible to trace
the cornerstones of a research aimed at shaping design solutions
capable of interpreting the traces of the city, the urban character of
the places to achieve a spatial project in which man and his needs are
taken as priorities.

ALBERTO GAVAZZI
MARCO GHILOTTI

(1) “Rogers associates elegance with the perfection of design objects, with a renewed techne in which the
technical process is inseparable from the artistic process. In this sense, the idea of elegance is a category
of judgment that makes reference to adapting the shape to meet the needs of the topic, without grinding
and without unnecessary complications.” In Eugenia Lopez Reus, “Ernesto Nathan Rogers, continuità e
contemporaneità” Marinotti, Milan, 2009, p. 198.

(2) “I thought it would be a good rule of thumb for all cities to give them an image that was more close
to the ground. If the ground were born architectures, would be born with local materials and then tone-
on-tone stone upon another matter on the subject.” In Fulvio Irace, “Caccia visto da Caccia. Colloquio
sottovoce tra il critico e l’architetto” Caccia seen by Caccia. A quiet talk between critic and architect” in
Fulvio Irace and Paola Marini (ed.), “Luigi Caccia Dominioni. Case e cose da abitare. Stile di Caccia”,
Marsilio, Venice, 2002, p. 220.

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

FAÇADE DESIGN OF THE CONNECTING BUILDING BETWEEN THE CHURCH OF SAN FEDELE AND THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK
(IMAGE COURTESY OF ARCHIVIO LCD)

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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Convent and Istitute of Beata Vergine Addolorata /

1946-1955 / Luigi Caccia Dominioni
via Calatafimi 10, Milano

Commissioned by the Institute of dormitories, topped off with the final floor,
Beata Vergine Addolorata and designed set aside for the nun’s small residences.
in 1946, the building is an integral part of The building’s appearance and its overall
a much more comprehensive project that layout the massing are highly influenced
encompassed the religious institution’s by the nearby Sant’Eustorgio: the façade
entire property extending to the intersection facing via Santa Croce is more elaborate
of via Calatafimi and via Cosimo del Fante due to the stairwells and mechanical areas,
where a multi-use building for flats and clad alternately in either solid or hollow
shops would later be erected in 1959. hexagonal elements in sandstone that are
Completed in 1955 after various construction combined following a rectangular grid
phases, the brief called for the residence pattern, creating a rhythm between solid
of a women’s religious institute. It consists surfaces and lattice work that protect
of a single, five-storey volume with three the most private areas of the building.
appendices at the rear for stairs and services.
GENERAL PLAN OF THE URBAN PROJECT
The decision to set the building back from (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVIO LCD)
the neighbouring via Sambuco was based
on the size of one of the two buildings of
the main floor, placed perpendicular to the
main building, which houses the chapel and
a large hall. A larger church was intended
to be inserted later into the project above
the existing sacred space, which would
have extended to the border of the block
connecting with via Calatafimi.
The architecture has a very uniform
design in plan, laid out on five levels: the
first floor, containing the entrance and
refectories, from which extend the shorter
volumes perpendicular to the main building;
the second floor, which is characterised by
an open gallery and spaces for studying; the
third and the fourth floors with the common

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 Convent and Istitute of Beata Vergine Addolorata / 1947-1955 / L. Caccia Dominioni
The elevations of the larger structure are
characterised by a continuous ribbon
window and by the loggia that, albeit
interrupted by the mechanical volumes,
take up the design on the main façade. The
latter, facing via Sambuco, displays strong
similarities with the compositional ordering
system adopted for the Caccia house in
piazza Sant’Ambrogio done around the same
time Both have a rhythmic distribution
of horizontal bands with a solid base on
the ground floor on top of which rests the
significant formal gesture of the balconies
that are modulated vertically by white pillars
that stand out against the dark brown, glazed
sandstone tile cladding that extends through
the upper storeys, interrupted only by the
rectangular windows with parapets made of
hollow elements and, finally, the dissipation
of the loggia with the protruding eaveline
above. The solution to the building’s summit
has a lightness to it, achieved by combining
the elements of solid and hollow glazed
ELEVATION FACING VIA SAMBUCO (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVIO LCD)
sandstone to form a finely-quilted, protective
barrier for the sisters’ meditation, while at
the same time modulating the natural light
(1). All of these aspects will contribute to
the definition of a personal, compositional
calligraphy that is also detectable in other
projects of the same period such as office
building Loro Parisini and later in the via
Maroncelli convent where, once again, the
design theme’s solution will be specified in
a “unique relationship with the materials,
technique, place” (2).
MARCO GHILOTTI
(1) “Many of the elements that will become typical of Caccia’s work
are already present here: the first-floor loggia; the delicate tracery
of the parapets and the lattice work on the top floor; the carefully
studied chromatic modulation ...”. “The attention to detail of the
pellicular coatings; flush windows and the vertical distribution
screened off by translucent ceramic latticework... “ from Giacomo
Polin, “Un architetto milanese tra regionalismo e sperimentazione:
Luigi Caccia Dominioni” in “Casabella”, n. 508, 1984.
(2) Fulvio Irace, “Il fascino discreto dell’architettura” in “Ottagono”,
n. 91, 1988.
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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Office, commercial and housing complex / 1953-1985 /

Luigi Caccia Dominioni
corso Europa 10-12, 18-20, 11-13, Milano

The first two buildings the creation of a wide, gently-curving

Corso Europa represents the
constructed portion of what was referred to
as the “racket”, an idea whose conception
dated back to the entry in a competition for
ideas held in 1926-1927. It would come to
represent the reorganization of a segment
of the innermost city’s urban fabric through
avenue that mainly replaced the existing
area with office buildings. Today, Corso
Europa represents the parcel of that urban
plan that was built over a fifteen-year span
including, in large part, projects designed
by Luigi Caccia Dominioni himself.
From 1953, LCD began the planning of

VIEW OF CORSO EUROPA, EAST SIDE: ONE OF THE “BLACK WARRIORS” (PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 Complessi per uffici, negozi e abitazioni / 1953-1985 / L. Caccia Dominioni
those that as early as 1959 E. N. Rogers
baptized as “black warriors” which
characterised most of the south-east part
of the Corso due to the fully glazed surface
treatment. Of these, the ground floor was
completed with a continuous, metallic,
slightly-cantilevered canopy and built
on a curved section that recedes, leaving
space to insert six-storeys of offices above,
capped off by the rather pronounced
projection of the light-weight eaves. Even
when opting to use a curtain wall, for LCD
it was indispensable to find a solution that
maintained the building’s mass.
These buildings also show his habitual
total freedom in the use of linguistic or
textural references, such as in the case
of the façades that continue on to Corso
Europa, where a completely different
approach is taken using clinker cladding
and characterising the windows as if they
were part of a residential façade, which
indeed begins at that point. Or, as in the
case of the elevation facing Via Durini,
with a further change of approach, where
it is the slabs of white marble, resting on
a light, glazed base — in addition to the
uniform rhythm of the fenestration — to
characterise the façade’s cladding and
to resolve the connection with the of the
neighbouring buildings’ façades. The
first of the two “warriors”, the one facing
Piazza San Babila, is bisected on the ground
floor by the “Strasbourg” mall, a wide and
winding pedestrian corridor that both
connects Corso Europa with Via Durini and
provides access to the vertical distribution
systems. Here, as in other projects, the
successful collaboration between LCD and
Somaini, can be witnessed in the design of
the terrazzo paving, where the architectural
idea seems to find its natural continuation
in the hands of an artist.
The building in via Verziere
While the two “armigeri” express
their position of being at the mid-point
along of Corso Europa searching for their
own individuality through a design based
on accentuated horizontal bands that
distinguish between the part touching the
ground and the floors above, the office
building fronting Via Verziere expresses
the desire to create an architecture firmly
anchored to the ground, even while it
keeps an eye on the relationship between
itself and Corso Europa. Built with the
same materials — glass and steel — the
building has the feeling of being crushed
to the ground by a slightly curved section
of a ‘veil‘, from which rise a uniform glass
curtain wall six storeys tall characterised
by the fast-paced rhythm of the slightly
protruding window frames. Indeed, at each
corner of the building, the lines of vertical
tension undergo a radical condensation
which, together with the cornice framing
the top, form a sequence of large, inverted
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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“c” shapes starting from the continuous
‘veil‘ and carried on through to the
mezzanine floor of the shops.
The northwest block
The northwest façades of Corso Europa
also feel the significant presence of LCD.
The project in question — whose notable
size was also significant compared to the
overall street façade along the northwest
side of the new avenue — was addressed by
LCD about ten years after the project for the
façades on the opposite side of the street
(1963-1966).
The approach tends to want to bestow
each side of the avenue with a clearly
differentiated character. The dominant
cladding of the façades is clinker, given
the need to insert itself in the mostly
residential character of the large ‘modern’
courtyard that encloses the small church
of S. Vito al Pasquirolo. The project gives
rise to a condominium complex extending
along Corso Europa, but its central part
seemingly vanishes, in the desire to set up a
relationship with the S. Vito church behind
it. Thus from the Corso, the condominium
appears as a set of three parts held together
by a uniform rhythm of very tall pillars,
each uniquely detailed to differentiate itself
from the others. On the ground floor, the
pillars give way to a wide portico, while
the floor above contains a continuous glass
façades nearly flush with the inner face of
the pillars for the two sides beyond which
the residential buildings rise. In the three
bays that lead to the courtyard, the expanse
of windows is interrupted, replaced by a
masonry wall clad in clinker.
The building towards Piazza S. Babila
has a continuous ribbon of windows above
the portico, corresponding to six bays of
pillars. In this case, they protrude from the
pillars, continuing upwards for three floors
that are clad in clinker and punctuated by
a uniform sequence of full-height windows,
beyond which another continuous glazed
area terminates in a pronounced copper
cornice. The building in front of it develops
upwards in correspondence to only three
of the bays of pillars and starting from
the central bay there is a crescendo of
protrusions that opens up to the sky.
In differentiating between the two sides of
the same condominium, it is interesting to
note the overall consistency, for example
between the part that bows out vertically
rising upwards and the one that bows out
horizontally above the order of pillars,
or the characterisation of the pillars
themselves, just subtle enough to be able
to work with the various parts, or like
the typical full-height window, which is
repeated over each of them. Everything is
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
 Office, commercial and housing complex / 1953-1985 / L. Caccia Dominioni

done with the intention of enriching, as completely cancels out the its projection
consistently as possible and with a sum total with respect to the façade below, continuing
of combined differences, such a central and in line with the pitched roof. The minute
delicate portion of the ‘heart’ of Milan. presence of this building is clear evidence
To complete this short description of of how LCD used the radical transformation
LCD’s projects in Corso Europa, a specific created in this section of the urban fabric
consideration is warranted about the small as a reference point for finding a suitable
building built next to the church of S. Vito al combination.
Pasquirolo: a two-storey structure based on
ALBERTO GAVAZZI
a square plan and topped with a pyramid-
shaped metal roof. The ground floor façades
are clad in stone that firmly anchors it to
the ground. The walls of the first floor are
defined by an opal red cladding with a
horizontal ribbon window inserted in the
centre. The lightness of the fully-glazed
floor contrasts with the pronounced
eaves — ‘veil-like’ in section, similar to the
building in Via Verziere — but which almost

STUDY DRAWING OF THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE FIRST PROJECT IN CORSO EUROPA
(IMAGE COURTESY OF ARCHIVE LCD)

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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DELLA PROVINCIA DI MILANO
Apartment building / 1955-1959 /
Luigi Caccia Dominioni
In 1955, together with the project for
the large condominium complex in Via
Nievo, another project was taking shape
for an apartment building in Via Vigoni
13, an area not far from where LCD would
later design yet another project built in
Corso Italia. Constructed in an area of
the urban fabric that had recently been
developed, the volumetric density was
dictated by the planning codes then in
force. The building contributed to the
construction of a continuous curtain of tall
buildings. Certainly, the presence of the S.
Celso complex constituted an extremely
valuable addition for that area and the
asymmetrical shape of the pairs of bow
windows set closely side by side in the
centre of the façade from the first to the last
floor, are projected toward it. The building
consists of seven floors, plus two basement
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
(IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVIO LCD)
Cl.326/itinerari
via Vigoni 13, Milano
levels, organised on a rectangular plan.
The consistency of the many architectural
elements, materials, colourings and detailed
solutions that went into the construction of
this building are held together by a design
that in itself is very concise, acting as a
fulcrum around which everything takes
shape. The base section is clad in ceppo di
Camerata Cornello is the foundation for
six floors, each with a couple of balconies
that have different depths accompanied by
diagonal strokes. The balconies originate
from minute solid elements in ceppo at the
far ends of the façade and, within the overall
context, are inseparable from the presence
of the pairs of bow-windows, each having
a special relationship with balconies: one
is part of its terrace, the other surmounts
it only halfway. All this establishes a
delicate compositional strategy based on
ONE OF THE BOW-WINDOWS
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
 Apartment building / 1955-1959 / L. Caccia Dominioni

the manipulation of the floor slabs of the used for the plaster both on the façades and
balconies placed in horizontal bands. But under the balconies, taken together, are a
this dynamic solution has multiple aspects response to the search for lightness in these
involving the entire building, both in height central portions.
and depth: the distance between the bow
ALBERTO GAVAZZI
windows determines an interval that divides
the façade into two parts, highlighting the
sense of verticality and lightness, while the THE FAÇADE FACING VIA VIGONI
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
continuous eaveline gives it a strong sense
of unity. The strong, diagonal presence of
masonry that closes off one of the two bow
windows and keeps them apart, is marked
in its pronounced verticality by the huge
chimney that ends beyond the roof and
whose cladding in ceramic tiles continues
below the eaves forming vertical stripes that
become increasingly thin until the beginning,
at the bottom, of this “blade” inserted
diagonally and vertically for the entire depth
of the building, making external elements
of outer facade inseparable, such as the and
bay windows, from the rest of the building.
It’s the ‘vacuum’ of the recessed area that,
corresponding to the entry to the building
from the road, which in turn that anchors the
vertical diagonal to the ground.
Looking at the project from this point
of view should help better understand the
hierarchy of roles played by the numerous
materials and colours: the capping off
of the end of the building with planters
strengthens the corporeality of the side,
while the dark opal red colour at the base
of the bow windows, or the different colour

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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Apartment building / 1956-1957 /

Luigi Caccia Dominioni
via Ippolito Nievo 28/a, Milano

The impressive nature of this both as a functional device and also as an

project is due to the grand, moderated
stereometric strength of its façades in the
original layout, where the numerous flush
windows were inserted according to the
articulated internal distribution of flats.
The project, designed in 1956 as part of
a larger development plan for the Milan
Fair, was the first contribution in a more
wide ranging research into the theme of
collective housing developed by Luigi Caccia
Dominioni in a number of interesting
buildings including the one in Via Santa
opportunity to experiment sophisticated
detailing.
The building in Via Nievo, with its nine
floors and the massive volume interrupted
vertically by the vents in the stairwells and
the large windows of some living rooms, its
use of glazed sandstone, a material created
for flooring but here used for the walls, will
inaugurate, as pointed out by James Polin,
“a school that is undeclared but practiced”
VERTICAL VIEW
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)

Croce in 1964, a second building in Via

Nievo in 1964-1965 and the masterful
work in Piazza Carbonari. In each of them,
“the most undervalued urban building
typologies — the condominium — has been
transfigured, bestowing it with the dignity
of a urban townhouse” (1). The main reasons
for this successful transformation include:
the contrast between the uniformity of the
building’s volume and the refined texture
of its clinker cladding; the sophisticated
composition of the façades where the shiny,
flush windows with metallic frames express
the layout of the interiors; the careful and
elegant spatial articulation and choice of
materials in the communal parts of the
building, enriched by the mosaic floors
by Francesco Somaini and in the vertical
envelope of the spiral staircases, seen

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI


in the years following the building in Via
Nievo. The careful configuration of each
apartment’s interiors — where each space
of the house is accessed via corridors — is
accompanied by a rational distribution
of the access routes to the building by
introducing a distinction between the
driveway at the rear and direct access to the
garage and the main one on the opposite
side. Once again, a clear tendency towards
an urban planning approach is revealed in
Caccia’s design work. He was a firm believer
of the role of the plan as a generative matrix
for the entire project, a tool that could
effectively controlling the configuration of
the rooms and the functional definition of
the internal circulation, but above all, the
transcription of an idea of dynamic space
inextricably linked to human movement.
Even the sinuous vertical connections,
in apparent contrast with the regularity
of the orthogonal plan, seem to play a
significant role in the composition of the
work, elaborating the façades in order
PLANS (IMAGE COURTESY OF ARCHIVE LCD)
Apartment building / 1956-1957 / L. Caccia Dominioni
to break down its massive character and
overlaying a reference line around which
the plan of the entire complex resolves,
and the distribution to the various floors is
organised (2). The architect’s work, aimed
at identifying the most suitable spatial
solution, is then completed in the common
areas; at this point, it is synchronised with
Somaini’s contribution, giving rise to a rare
and precious harmony between the formal
expression of the artistic gesture and the
spatial conception of a work of architecture
in the path identifies its generative
principle.
MARCO GHILOTTI
(1) The phenomenon already noted by Maria Antonietta Crippa in
residential building for the years between 1955 and 1960 made in
Milan: Maria Antonietta Crippa, “Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Flussi, spazi
e architettura”, Testo & Immagine, Turin, 1996. p. 33.
(2) “... the scale is the central figure in Caccia interiors and indeed in
the distributive characters of the plant. Innazi all because it plays
the role of vertical pin that screws the spaces and it distributes the
dislocation plans...”, Fulvio Irace, “Stile di Caccia” in Fulvio Irace and
Paola Marini (ed.), “Lugi Caccia Dominioni. Case e cose da abitare.
Stile di Caccia”, Marsilio, Venice, 2002, p. 24.
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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Building for offices and apartments / 1957-1961 /

Luigi Caccia Dominioni
corso Italia 22-24, Milano

The project in Corso Italia — along with compromised by previous speculative

the overall planning for Corso Europa — is
interesting among LCD’s body of work in
Milan because of the unique complexity of
the themes involving urban planning and
the variety and richness of his responses.
The various zoning requirements and the
relatively high density called for in such a
central segment of the city that had been
development, were dealt with, as per his
usual, with both a masterful command of
his trade and the confidence of being able to
interact properly with the soul of Milan.
There were few traces left of the pre-
industrial city, while more recent
developments had made radical changes
in both the height and character of the

OVERALL PLAN OF THE FOURTH FLOOR (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVIO LCD)

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 Building for offices and apartments / 1957-1961 / L. Caccia Dominioni

city’s architecture. But in Corso Italia, LCD
tried a solution that adhered to the original
context — even though this was made more
difficult by earlier transformations — of the
history of the ancient urban fabric that was
still perceptible in Milan. The church of S.
Eufemia, directly opposite the parcel of land
where the project was planned to be built,
was instrumental in leading to limiting the
height of the central portion that fronted
the street to a relatively low three storeys,
corresponding to the height of some
buildings from pre-industrial Milan that
still existed in the vicinity. Only the sides,
the first three storeys are confined by two
slender towers — clad with small, square,
matte-red tiles simulating coarse plaster —
Italia, an entirely residential part of the
building that is drawn towards the interior,
attempting to blend into the surrounding
context of ‘Old Milan’ with a linear
approach to massing the steps down as it
heads toward the courtyard / garden. The
large entry way (connected to the church of
St. Euphemia ) widens into soft shapes in
its innermost part and is solved in strong
continuity with the courtyard / garden.
Together they organise the distribution
to the various floors of the architectural
complex. The terrazzo flooring was one of
the joint works by LCD and Somaini.
ALBERTO GAVAZZI
THE INTERIOR FAÇADE (PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)

that continue rising for another three floors,

free on all sides. The two horizontal bands
of curtain-walls, increasingly cantilevered
as one moves upwards and resting on the
ground floor, make the continuous ribbon
windows on the top floor of the small tower
structures necessary.
The considerable remaining area
zoned for development was located in the
innermost portion of the lot. A ten-storey,
tower-like building clad in nearly black
clinker, laid out on an irregular, pentagonal
plan and butting up against the windowless
side of a neighbouring condominium block,
accentuated with conviction the projection
of its shadow into the courtyard / garden.
Continuing the block that begins in Corso

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DELLA PROVINCIA DI MILANO Cl.330/itinerari

Apartment building / 1958-1960 /

Luigi Caccia Dominioni
via Santa Maria alla Porta 11, Milano

The project dealt with a five-storey respect to each of the eight bays, give order
building that was to reconstruct the façade to the entire condominium. The unity of
along Via Santa Maria alla Porta. The the operation itself, however, is attenuated
relationship to its surroundings was varied in favour of a greater unity, recognisable
and delicate to both control and monitor. in the specificity of the street. The clarity
Viewed from Via Santa Maria alla Porta, of the initial intent unfolds with overall
the building appears to be two distinct consistency in the characterisation of parts
structures — deliberately different in size, of the whole building that, even more
height and architectural character — that than others, provides the opportunity to
are separated by a recessed, vertical division
in glass that forms a sharp, continuous THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FAÇADE OF A SEVENTEENTH-
CENTURY CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA ALLA PORTA
shadow between them. The geometry (PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
of the building closest to the church
repeats its dimension in both height and
width; the choice of roofline underscores
its autonomous form, coupled with the
design of the part below; even the detail
of the union between the roof and the
main structure is preceded by horizontal
fenestration that is the same height as the
entablature at the base of the church’s
tympanum and at the same street level.
Overall, the building is five storeys tall and
based on a rectangular plan with shops
on the ground floor and the upper floors
designed to operate as apartments or offices
(two per floor); the stairwell and lifts are
located on the façade rear. The base, resting
on square pillars clad in ghiandone and
topped by very slightly-arched beams, as
well as the metal railing that is repeated
on the three upper floors and centred with

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 Apartment building / 1958-1960 / L. Caccia Dominioni

emphasize how much the issue of attention metal railing affixed to the same projecting
to context addresses the subject in an slab; as well as the gutter and fascia above
openly inclusive manner. The façades of the arches, which reaffirm the architect’s
the building nearest the church opt for desire to embellish the entire condominium
plaster as a finishing material, similar to through its detailing, resulting in a building
the surfaces of the façades of the church designed as a single, unified body composed
itself; fully-glazed doors splayed above the of various parts
height of the sill and the metal railing that
ALBERTO GAVAZZI
returns to the same width as the frame, lend
themselves to an approach in keeping with
the oldest plastered buildings.
In contrast, the other building’s trachyt
cladding along the street façade seems VIEW OF THE FAÇADE IN VIA SANTA MARIA ALLA PORTA
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
intended to harmonise with both the
colouring and the volumetric density of
Tonolli house nearby. The use of such a
challenging cladding material, however,
maintains a clear distance from its use in
older buildings belonging to Lombardian
tradition. The slabs of black opal that
house the sliding shutters, kept flush with
the façade, and set next to the single, light
brown, louvered window frames, are highly
expressive along the street façade, which
has a decidedly rationalist derivation.
The remaining sides of this buildings are
clad in matte-brown, square tiles, while
the presence of trachyte is attenuated,
maintaining unity in the entire building
furthest from the church. Many details are
worthy of attention, such as the trachyte
flap capped off with a slab whose projection
and autonomy are highlighted by the
recessed downspout at the corner; or the

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St. Anthony’s Convent of Franciscan Friars /

1959-1963 / Luigi Caccia Dominioni
via Farini, via Maroncelli, Milano

The project concerned the the torre littoria of a fascist building in the
reconstruction of the entire convent of immediate vicinity.
St. Anthony of Franciscan Friars except The massive appearance of the tower, as
for the small part adjacent to the Church in previous works, is mitigated once again
and the sacristy above. The unusual by combining solid and hollow elements in
shape of the lot, but also the need to
build in compliance with the pre-existing VIEW OF THE TOWER IN VIA FARINI
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)-
architectural surroundings, undertaking
yet another operation of melding into the
context, determined a complex solution
both in terms of plan and the massing of
the project. The building was inserted into
the city block, anchored by a tower, square
in plan, situated along Via Farini in direct
contact with the building behind the apse
of the church. From there, it continues
into the interior of the lot, laid out around
a courtyard that, in defining an internal
cloister, saturates the available areas
around the edges of the block, determining
the necessary connections with the existing
buildings. The successful harmony between
this new work of architecture, the pre-
existing buildings and the city can once
again be found in Caccia’s methodological
approach to urban planning that, without
losing sight of the issue at hand, uses
the tower typology to adequately site the
student residences. At the same time, with
this volume, he introduced an element that
characterises the entire complex and creates
a close relationship with the clock tower and

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 St. Anthony’s Convent of Franciscan Friars / 1959-1963 / L. Caccia Dominioni
sandstone to form a finely quilted screen
shielding the balconies and private areas.
The white plaster used to finish the inner
walls of the loggias, combined with the dark
colour of the hexagonal sandstone elements,
contributes to accentuate the contrast in
colour.
The site plannning placed the entrance
to the monastery at the foot of the tower in
the resulting free space between it and the
building located next to the small church
parallel to Via Farini. From here you enter
the courtyard, which is occupied by a
circular ramp leading to the underground
garage, which was constructed at a later
date and is now almost completely covered
by vegetation. The friar’s “cells” look onto
the central space, which is surrounded by
a large portico composed of pillars and
arches that were originally intended to be
clad in serizzo, a proposal that was never
actually carried out. Compared to the more
rarefied composition of the interior façades
and the elevations of the tower, consistent
with the ground plan and the intended use,
the volumes facing Via Maroncelli appear
more compact, although more complex.
The connection with the buildings adjacent
to the apse of the church is resolved by
adopting an architectural solution that from
the tower steps down to street level where
it is smoothly woven into the compact
basement that comprises the façade on the
street.
The vertical articulation of the buildings
is interrupted by a horizontal ribbon of
windows where glazed and solid panels are
framed together in order to accentuate the
abstract nature of the element while at the
same time revealing the presence of internal
hallways leading the individual residential
units. Although deviating somewhat during
construction from the original plans drawn
up by the architect — especially in regard to
the execution of some of the details (1) — the
religious complex of Via Farini asserts itself
authoritatively among Caccia’s best works,
clearly revealing his ardent intention to
respect and continue the history of the city
and its buildings without surrendering to
simplistic acts of mimicry opting, instead,
to endow the unique volumetric solutions
and combinations of materials to his own
personal and elegant style.
MARCO GHILOTTI
(1) The deviations from the original project relate to the positioning
some downpipes that weren’t placed at the corners of the building
and of the tower, the colour of the curtains, the serizzo cladding
of the pillars in the cloister and the glass finish for those adjacent to
the windows..
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 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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Buildings for apartments and shops / 1959-1964 /
Luigi Caccia Dominioni
The building for flats and shops caps
off the north end of the property where the
Institute for the Blessed Virgin was erected
for which, in 1946, the architect Luigi
Caccia Dominioni had already designed
the convent and Female religious Institute
located in the southern sector of the area.
The shape of the building in plan was the
result of maximising the use of the available
area, freeing up the remaining part of the
site and emphasising the building’s urban
role, which, rising eight storeys high, acts
as a cornerstone capable of defining a
place as well as, in turn, being shaped by
it. The result is a massive volume, made
more slender by the flush windows placed
in correspondence of the corners and by
STUDY DRAWINGS OF THE FAÇADES ON VIA SANTA CROCE AND THE COURTYARD GARDEN
(IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVIO LCD)
Cl.322/itinerari
via Santa Croce 3, Milano
the silhouette of the roof that, with a slight
bend following the line of the vertical walls,
in inclined in order to reach a flat surface
derived from the geometry of the building.
The plan, organised on eight floors, mainly
for housing with the exception of shops on
the ground floor, has a refined articulation
of space aimed at a functional subdivision
of the rooms in every flat, which all face
outwards. The core of the building contains
service areas and a stairwell with elevator
for vertical connections; the latter emerges
beyond the roofline as a small volume. Of
particular interest is the structural grid
that, stepping back at the corners, frees up
the façade for windows to be placed there.
Here, the architectural composition is more
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
 Buildings for apartments and shops / 1959-1964 / L. Caccia Dominioni

abstract liberating the massive character the trough as well as act as the building’s
of the project in order to be developed in a overall cornice and the connecting point
decreasing sequence of panels, both glazed between the vertical walls of the façade and
and solid, that are able to camouflage the the pitches of the roof or in the proposed
building’s structural framework. In the solution for corner window frames that
central area of each façade, the introduction reveals a consistent internal distribution,
of recessed balconies — for example on always placing the flats’ largest rooms
the eastern façade — and some planters in correspondence with the vertices and
integrated into the design of the windows interpreting the relationship with the city
gives the overall project a more residential and the nearby garden with the refined
character. On the ground floor, on the screens.
sides facing the street, a continuous line of
MARCO GHILOTTI
ribbon windows is capped with relatively
small copper covering that, turning the
corners, effectively gives continuity to the
lower portion of the building by marking,
with a single element, the base of the entire
volume. The building, originally covered
in dark green lithoceramic has now been
replaced by a dark brown vitreous plaster,
thus losing the shimmering effect of natural
VIEW FROM VIA COSIMO DEL FANTE
light given by the glazed ceramic. (PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
Some of the detailing testifies to Caccia
Dominioni’s constant attention in seeking
architectural solutions that were correct
and in line with the principles that guided
his entire body of work and with the subject
matter at hand. In this way, the building
of Via Santa Croce expresses much of his
technical mastery of the materials. Example
can be found in the care with which the
eave was designed, slightly protruding
from the façade in order to provide room
for the gutter, which was designed to house

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 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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DELLA PROVINCIA DI MILANO Cl.323/itinerari

Building for apartments, offices and shops / 1963-1966 /

Luigi Caccia Dominioni
corso Monforte 9, Milano

Built on an area previously occupied layout, articulated in two distinct units

by a shorter building on the corner, the that overlook on Corso Monforte and
compact volume of this project is an Vicolo Rasini respectively. In both cases,
example of an elegant harmony with the the service areas have been located in the
character of the surrounding buildings, interior corner of the building, facing the
which are re-interpreted in terms of the light well.
overall composition and the horizontal In the original design, the upper level
rhythm of the façades. houses two flats that are different in size
Zoned for office and residential use, due to the volumetric reduction of of the
the building rises five storeys high, the last
of which is set back from the edge of the VIEW OF THE FAÇADE IN CORSO MONFORTE
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
two main sides, making room for a terrace
aligned with the façade. A circular staircase
runs the entire height of building, emerging
through the roof as a cylindrical volume.
The ground floor is mainly occupied by a
store, organised on two levels and staggered
eighty centimeters, which reaches to the
passageway leading to the square-shaped
inner light well and from which you can
access a small circular concierge that is
a little smaller than the adjacent stairs.
The two circular spaces, collected in the
innermost area of the building, seemingly
carved out of the volume and the subject
of documented design process (1), are
the natural conclusion of an extended
entry way. They are a transcription of the
designer’s constant attention towards
spaces for connecting and accessing flats.
The first and second floor, instead, are used
as offices and have a similar distribution

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 Building for apartments, offices and shops / 1963-1966 / L. Caccia Dominioni

building towards Vicolo Rasini and the
consequent presence of a large terrace. The
building’s crown, set back from the main
façades, is characterised by a large, single
room surrounded almost entirely by glass
surfaces and by a terrace on two sides.
In contrast to the compact and symmetrical
layout of the façade on Corso Monforte
and to the more articulated façade along
the alley, greater freedom was afforded
to the internal articulation of the various
floors, each of which is indissolubly linked
to the organic vertical stair. The successful
formal solutions adopted a more urban
value: this is testified to by the role of the
façade, carved out of the avenue in relation
to elevation via Cerva, a role stressed by
the design proposal that called for the
construction of a tower on the roof that
would obstruct the view of the buildings
beyond, giving the new project a renewed
role as an urban stronghold.
MARCO GHILOTTI
(1) This solution was the result of many study drawings.
now preserved in the Luigi Caccia Dominioni archives.

harmony with the context was achieved

GROUND FLOOR PLAN
through a careful consideration of the (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVIO LCD)
detailing that manifests itself in the set-
back corresponding to the “joint” with the
adjacent building along the Avenue; with
the alignment of the cornice, consisting of
overlapping blocks in gneiss, surmounted
by a solid masonry band interrupted only
in the middle in order to enhance the
symmetrical layout of the most visible
façade; in the hammered-finish plinth,
made of stone; and in corner detail solved
with a set-back, adapted to accommodate
a secondary element in the composition
of the façade, welcomed here in the
building’s cornice. The project for the
building, which began in 1963 and whose
construction was completed in 1966, is not
only a successful example of a relationship
with the identifying characteristics of the
city, it also extends its role by giving the

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 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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Building for offices and Vip’s Residence / 1963-1967 /
Luigi Caccia Dominioni
E’ interessante porre l’attenzione sul
risultato di insieme degli interventi che
LCD ebbe modo di svolgere nell’arco
di un decennio circa nel comparto che
va oltre piazza Velasca: si tratta di una
concatenazione di tre edifici addirittura
contigui, se pure ciascuno differente
dall’altro per committenza e destinazione
d’uso. Per palazzo Mellerio si tratta però
di un intervento di restauro, mentre
nell’ambito del suo contributo alla
costruzione dello spazio urbano a Milano
è interessante osservare l’insieme dei due
edifici “Cartiere Binda” e “Vip’s Residence”.
Le Cartiere Binda (ora Allianz)
Nel caso delle ‘Binda’ appare a prima
vista la radicalità dirompente con cui
LCD si pone rispetto all’ambito generale
della piazza Velasca. Come nel caso degli
interventi sul lato sud-est di corso Europa,
con le “Binda”, edificio tutto dedicato alla
produzione, LCD diede forma con estrema
e convinta radicalità ad un corpo di fabbrica
tutto vetro e materiali ferrosi ripetuti per
sette piani, poggianti su un nudo basamento
con due livelli di finestrature ma rivestito di
lastre prefabbricate di graniglia.
Con la torre Velasca i BBPR, per
volume posizione e qualità del dettato
architettonico, avevano certamente
impresso alla piazza un’identità d’eccezione
Cl.329/itinerari
piazza Velasca 7-9, Milano
che portava i suoi influssi sull’intera
Milano. La figura architettonica a cui
LCD diede forma segnò un ulteriore
punto di rottura sulla piazza. Qui la sua
preoccupazione prima era di cercare
delle soluzioni rispondenti al meglio alle
esigenze tipologico/costruttive, prova ne
è che da una prima soluzione con pilastri
in c.a. anche interni alla superficie della
pianta rettangolare passò ad uno schema
strutturale in ferro che gli consentì di
liberare la pianta da pilastri interni.
Le strutture verticali vennero portate
all’esterno del sedime rettangolare, ma
anche gli impianti tecnologici e i corpi di
distribuzione verticale; il tutto riassunto
in una architettura estremamente ridotta
all’essenza di pochi elementi architettonici.
La rispondenza prioritaria alle esigenze
spaziali dell’interno, in questo specifico
PLANIMETRIA DEI TRE INTERVENTI GRAVITANTI SU PIAZZA
VELASCA (IMMAGINE CONCESSA DA ARCHIVIO LCD)
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
 Building for offices and Vip’s Residence / 1963-1967 / L. Caccia Dominioni
luogo, venne tradotta in un disegno di
balconi continui in ferro sui fronti sud e
nord, poggianti su un nudo basamento di
due piani fuori terra. I terrazzi, costituiti da
elementi molto esili in ferro tinto di bianco,
ancor prima che assolvere alla funzione
di accesso facile all’esterno per la pulizia
dei vetri, contribuiscono a dare quel senso
di corporeità leggera all’intero edificio.
Essi permettono il passaggio di impianti
tecnologici, delineano soprattutto un sottile
e trasparente filo-facciata dei fronti nord
e sud, offrendo la necessaria tensione ai
“cassoni tecnologici” in alluminio nero
perché possano essere percepiti come
elementi che scorrono su di essi per poi
risvoltare l’angolo verso palazzo Mellerio,
e formare quel crescendo melodico
ascendente di cui il particolare profilo della
copertura risulta essere una necessaria
conclusione.
Vip’s Residence
Dovendo addossare alle “Cartiere
Binda” un edificio residenziale con
affaccio su via Pantano, LCD ricondusse
la sua ricerca figurativa non solo ad un
accostamento per “adesione” al contesto
della strada – via Pantano fa angolo con
l’antico Ospedale Maggiore di Milano
(l’attuale Università Statale) – ma, a seguito
di diverse sostituzioni di edifici avvenute
in essa nel dopoguerra, ha assunto un
carattere che mantiene alcune tipicità della
sua origine antica, pur portando in sé delle
trasformazioni anche rilevanti. L’altezza
e la forma tanto caratterizzata della torre
Velasca, entrano in scena pesantemente
nel paesaggio urbano che la riguarda e,
così come per le “Binda”, anche nel caso
del Vip’s Residence LCD cerca delle sottili
relazioni con il corpo della Velasca, così
come controlla e connette meticolosamente
i diversi ‘attacchi’ con gli edifici a cui
deve aderire. Un primo ordine è costruito
su due piani fuori terra, ritmato da una
cadenza uniforme di pilastri, e contiene
dieci campate suddivise in due sotto-ordini,
il primo dei quali risolve a piano terra gli
accessi ai due corpi scala, agli interrati e
alla porzione commerciale. Un secondo
sotto-ordine è scandito da un ritmo di
porte-finestre al centro di ogni campata con
oscuranti in materiale ferroso tinto verde-
rame che scorrono a scomparsa entro una
pennellatura tinta marrone chiaro.
L’ordine soprastante affronta un
passaggio radicale dalle dieci campate
basamentali alle undici campate che si
sviluppano su tre piani con ritmo uniforme
di porte-finestre. Nell’ultimo livello il corpo
sporge leggermente rispetto al filo facciata
dei tre piani sottostanti e le ampie finestre
che si alternano alla superficie intonacata
perdono ogni contorno presente invece
nelle aperture dei tre piani sottostanti.
ALBERTO GAVAZZI
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Connection between the church of San Fedele and the

Chase Manhattan Bank / 1968-1970 / L. Caccia Dominioni
via Catena 2, Milano

The building that connects the apse
of San Fedele di Pellegrino Tibaldi (1569)
and the Chase Manhattan Bank by BBPR
(1958-1969), located between Via Chain
and Piazza Meda, stands as an exemplary
operation of urban connection in a
context characterised by a particularly
complex accumulation of architectural and
urbanistic strata over time. Called on by the
Jesuits in 1966 to address the difficult task
of resolving the issue of contextualisation
— with the project already underway —
Luigi Caccia Dominioni demonstrated an
exemplary ability to harmoniously insert
given to the pedestrian tunnel orienting
the choice of finishes and the layout of
interior elevations. The emphasis placed
on urban planning in the methodological
approach to design practiced by Caccia,
a firm believer in the role of the plan as
a generative matrix of the entire project,
was then applied to the building in Via
Catena in terms of the overall massing
and in the new compositional order. Both
participate in the notion of consistent
VIEW OF THE BUILDING FROM VIA CATENA
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)

the building into its surroundings, initially

proceeding by completely reworking
the plan, followed by focusing on a new
solution to the tower’s massing and the
composition of the façades.
Adhering to rational logic, many
steps were taken: the ground floor was
cleared out in order to establish a clear,
functional subdivision between the
pedestrian and vehicular entrances; the
size of the corner pillar was increased,
transforming it into a column on which the
volume above rests lightly and intercepts
the vertical axis of the façade; as one
procedes towards the courtyard, a set back
generates a strong shadow along the base,
from which rises the mass of the tower,
and finally, new architectural dignity is

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

Connection between the church of San Fedele and the Chase Manhattan Bank / 1968-1970 / L. Caccia Dominioni
“acclimatisation” (1) pursued through an
“elegant” (2) manipulation of iconographic
elements drawn from the surrounding city
that were incorporated and reinterpreted
in the projects as well as in material-
chromatic harmony of architecture with
the context. The corner tower in fact,
reworked compared to the original design
of the northwest-facing volumes, finds new
vertical expression confirming its role as a
connecting element and fulcrum in relation
to neighboring buildings. The building’s
‘crown’ also stressed this orientation,
alternating the rhythm between the
slightly protruding masonry corbels and
the window openings, an reference to the
tholobate of the nearby church of San
Fedele and topping off the volume of the
tower.
The full-height, rectangular windows,
splayed to contain the folding shutters,
make up the two elevations up to the third
level while a windowless façade facing Via
Catena, as if to add emphasis to the great,
two-storey oval eye facing the apse of the
church. With this element, the volume
of the tower declares its orientation by
assigning a precise hierarchy to the two
façades.
The large window is closed off by a
small balcony characterised by a simple
iron railing. Below it the design of the
openings continues, ending in a rectangular
window with a square mesh railing, which
is, in reality, the true terminus of the large
oval above. Only with this element on a
larger scale, able to impact the entire height
of the elevation, is the harmony with the
neighboring, pre-existing buildings, the
masterly solution of the entire work and the
success of “closeness” to the calligraphy of
the nearest architectures (3) brought into
focus.
MARCO GHILOTTI
(1)
”The acclimatization must be possible despite these
conditions imposed by modern life and it is here that their
technical considerations must find the appropriate language
to ensure that a building is built there, right there, and could not
be built elsewhere” from Ernesto Nathan Rogers, “Le preesistenze
ambientali e i temi pratici contemporanei” in “Casabella-Continuità”,
n. 204 February - March 1954, p. 6.
(2) “Rogers associates elegance with the perfection of design
objects, to a “renewed techne” in which the technical process is
inseparable from the artistic process. In this sense, the idea of
elegance is a category of judgment that makes reference to form
adapting to the requirements of the programme, without calling
attention to itself and without unnecessary complications” from
Eugenia Lopez Reus, “Ernesto Nathan Rogers, continuità e
contemporaneità”, Marinotti, Milan, 2009, p. 198.
(3) “I was called upon when the tower had already been chosen
as a point of union between the apse of San Fedele and the BBPR
building and the construction site was in an advanced state.
My intervention was confined to the redefinition and the completion
of the tower, of which only the structure had been built: I cleared out
the ground floor, I designed a frame that closes the volume of the
tower, I opened a large oval window looking towards the apse of
the church. This was done in a matter of minutes. In this way I have
felt close to both the Pellegrini and to BBPR”. From a conversation
with the architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni reported in Elena Triunveri,
“Caccia Dominioni e Milano”, itinerary n.131, “Domus”, 790, 1997.
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 FONDAZIONE DELL’ORDINE DEGLI ARCHITETTI,
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Layout of piazza San Babila / 1996-1997 /

Luigi Caccia Dominioni
piazza San Babila, Milano

The piazza was designed in 1996 as part to include all the actors in the square’s new
of a broader redevelopment plan conducted landscape as part of the picture, marks the
by the City of Milan in conjunction with the real continuity of the pedestrian flow along
Ente Autonomo Fiera Milano that targeted the Corso, which, through this project, has
unresolved spaces in the city’s historic been given a clearly defined sense of unity
centre. It can be considered as yet another identity at the foot of the twentieth century
design exercise in pursuit of the much porticoes of Palazzo del Toro.
sought-after goal of continuity between an The fountain, the oval placed at its apex,
urban context and its buildings, carried out
with the masterful handling of materials’
VIEW OF THE SIDES OF THE FOUNTAIN FACING THE PORTICO
design possibilities both in terms of OF THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY PALAZZO DEL TORO
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
appearance and their conformative potential.
The open space was redesigned to
eliminate the conflicts between vehicular and
pedestrian traffic, thus setting up a project
for an “urban environment” where the area
reserved for pedestrians was enlarged to
accommodate the project’s forms, which
were conceived as a transcription of the way
of people move. The project’s new landscape
knows no limits of scale “... I am an architect
through and through; I see urban planning
everywhere. In reality, apartments are
micro cities, with their traffic patterns,
their constraints, social spaces and private
ones” (1). In this sense, the mass of the large
fountain (2) in San Babila can be measured
against the piazza’s “stone-paved cavea” (3),
against its imposing buildings, identifying
the line of sight and a perfect ending to Corso
Vittorio Emanuele. The “stage” in porphyry,
on which everything is arranged, envisioned

LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI

 Layout of piazza San Babila / 1996-1997 / L. Caccia Dominioni
the volume of a truncated pyramid, the grid
and the central basin represent the water’s
path. The flow of this element anticipates
the natural wear and tear suffered by the
stone surfaces in many of Caccia’s works,
testifying to his relentless pursuit of the
value and tactile properties of the materials
in this sublimated intervention in everyday
experience. Materials used: Porphyry in
shades ranging from red to brown for
the pavement; Serizzo di Val Masino,
Montorfano Granite, Pink Baveno, Dubino
Valtellina for the fountain and Sasso Rosso
Val Gerola for the ‘egg’ (4) located on the
fountain’s top, confirm the interpretation
given to the work as a “living museum of
the stones of Lombardy and of the granites
of the churches and palaces of Milan” (5).
The plastic vitality of objects — designed in
the wake of ongoing research about pure
forms shaped on man’s image and the spatial
VIEW OF THE FOUNTAIN IN THE SQUARE
(PHOTO BY ALESSANDRO SARTORI)
richness of the interiors, the synthesis of
dynamism and systematic methodology, but
most of all, the concrete implementation of
the system of possible paths or movements
— does not suffer as the scale of a project
varies because, as the author says, “... there is
never a problem of scale, everything we do is
always in relationship to man... “ (6).
MARCO GHILOTTI
(1) Maria Antonietta Crippa, “Luigi Caccia Dominioni: flussi, spazi e
architettura”, ed. testo e immagine, Turin, 1996, p. 9.
(2) The prototype of the large fountain in Piazza San Babila in Milan
was built on a smaller scale in 1989 in Piazza San Martino,
Cosio Valtellino, a small town in the Province of Sondrio.
(3) Fulvio Irace, “Nuove architetture a Milano: la fontana di piazza
San Babila” in Abitare n. 361 April 1997.
(4) egg is a symbol of life, rebirth and resurrection.
(5) Fulvio Irace, “Nuove architetture a Milano: la fontana di piazza
San Babila” in Abitare n. 361 April 1997.
(6) Private conversation with the architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni,
Milan February 25, 2010.
VIEW OF THE METAL BALUSTRADE FACING THE FOUNTAIN
(PHOTO BY VINCENZO MARTEGANI)
LUIGI CACCIA DOMINIONI
PEOPLE
Portraits of Milanese professionalism
other itineraries in the series on www.ordinearchitetti.mi.it

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Alberto Ferlenga, Massimo Ferrari

Asnago e Vender
Massimo Novati

Carlo De Carli
Gianni Ottolini, Claudio Camponogara, Elena Demartini

Figini e Pollini
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Franco Albini e Milano

Stefano Poli, Carlo Venegoni

Gio Ponti
Fulvio Irace, Manuela Leoni

Giovanni Muzio
Annegret Burg

Giulio Minoletti e Milano

Maria Cristina Loi

Il segreto dell’Assoluto: Francesco Somaini e Milano

Paolo Campiglio

Lo studio BBPR e Milano

Paolo Brambilla, Stefano Guidarini, Luca Molinari

Piero Bottoni: la dimensione civile della bellezza

Giancarlo Consonni, Graziella Tonon

Piero Portaluppi
Stefano Poli

Vico Magistretti
Fulvio Irace, Federico Ferrari

Vittoriano Viganò
Roberto Rizzi, Marta Averna