{"id":7505,"date":"2026-04-29T10:04:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/angesfinanciers.org\/?p=7505"},"modified":"2026-05-01T15:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:13:28","slug":"som-preserves-the-soul-of-1960s-modernist-office-complex-in-milan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/som-preserves-the-soul-of-1960s-modernist-office-complex-in-milan\/","title":{"rendered":"SOM “preserves the soul” of 1960s modernist office complex in Milan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Corso<\/div>\n

Global studio SOM<\/a> has renewed Corso Italia 23, a 1960s office<\/a> complex in Milan<\/a>, retrofitting its modernist<\/a> structure and fractured interiors to align with modern standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Occupying an entire urban block, the Corso Italia 23 building comprises three distinct volumes originally designed by Italian architects Gio Ponti<\/a> and Piero Portaluppi.<\/p>\n

\"Exterior
SOM has updated the Corso Italia 23 office complex in Milan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SOM<\/a> looked to improve connectivity throughout the 46,500-square-metre complex, transforming its closed-off layout into a “porous urban campus”, while preserving its architectural quality.<\/p>\n

This approach included the transformation of a large central courtyard from a parking lot into a shared garden, along with the creation of new pedestrian routes and internal staircases.<\/p>\n

\"Office
It was originally designed in the 1960s by Ponti Fornaroli Rosselli and Piero Portaluppi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Our core objective was to deliver a strategic reinhabitation of a mid-century landmark,” studio design partner Kent Jackson told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“Drawing on the lineage of Gio Ponti and Piero Portaluppi, we reinterpreted the building’s campus typology \u2013 transforming the site from a closed, insular block into a porous and verdant urban campus.”<\/p>\n

“The result preserves the soul of the 1960s architecture, while replacing its insular logic with one of openness and transparency,” he added.<\/p>\n

\"Courtyard
A new central courtyard unites the three buildings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looking to pay homage to the original design, SOM’s strategy focused on material reuse, with 70 per cent of the existing building structures and foundations retained.<\/p>\n

One building, which had become severely damaged over time, saw its red granite facade removed and repurposed into a glass fibre reinforced concrete system that matches the building’s original colour.<\/p>\n

The buildings were also updated to meet modern energy standards, while preserving its original massing and “geometric discipline”.<\/p>\n