Park Associati, S.r.l.

Torre della Permanente

Torre della Permanente 

Park Associati

Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella

ARCHITECTS
Park Associati

CLIENT
Artisa Group

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Ricci Spa

URBANISM
Archimi - Arch. Marco Cerri

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TEAM
Sce Project

STRUCTURES
Studio Struttura, Ing. Daniele Mietto - Studio Struttura

MEP ENGINEERING
Deerns

SUSTAINABILITY
Deerns

ACOUSTICS
Deerns

LIGHTING ENGINEER
Deerns

ENERGY CERTIFICATION
Deerns

LIGHTING PROJECT
Invisible Lab

FOUNDING PARTNERS
Filippo Pagliani, Michele Rossi

PROJECT DIRECTOR
Giacomo Geroldi

PROJECT LEADER
Alberto Ficele, Andrea Manfredini

ARCHITECTS
Giulia Tamburini, Alice Cuteri, Valeria Di Tizio, Sara Cacciati, Andrea Cinquegrana, Valeria Donini, Elena Ghetti, Iva Kliman, Emanuele Moro

VISUALIZERS
Antonio Cavallo, Mara Nunziante, Xhensila Ogreni, Stefano Venegoni

URBAN COORDINATION
Arch. Marco Cerri - Archimi

TIPOLOGY
Office Building, Refurbishment And Extension

PROJECT
2021 -2023

REALIZATION
2022- 2024

GROSS AREA
6450 M2

ENERGY CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE
Leed Gold V4

COST CONTROL
Alessandro Rebughini

COORDINATION
Planimetro

FIRE PREVENTION
Gae Engineering

BUILDING FACADES DESIGN
Deerns

PHOTOGRAPHS
Nicola Colella, Francesca Iovene

AREA
3365 M²

YEAR
2024

LOCATION
Milano, Italy

CATEGORY
Office Buildings, Renovation, Sustainability

Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella

A renovation and expansion project that enhances the building's efficiency while respecting its original designers' architecture. Designed in the 1950s by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Luigi Fratino, the 12-floor Tower of the Permanente was an addition to the building of the same name, which was designed and built in 1886 by Luca Beltrami, in Via Filippo Turati in Milan.

Currently housing the Museo della Permanente, the complex is located in a strategic area on a thoroughfare connecting the city center and the Central Station.

Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella
Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella

Guided by a painstaking historical and philological analysis, the redevelopment, conservation and expansion project of the tower by Park Associati stems from both a consideration of the context, which is strongly characterized by contemporary architecture, and a respect for the identity and architectural value of the original building.

The project establishes a balanced interaction with the original design, a fine example of Milanese Modernism, while enhancing the efficiency of the building, which maintains its original intended use, covering about 3,500 square meters of office space.

Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella
Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella

The removal of any superfluous addition and the building's adaptation to the current plant engineering and casing's performance requirements aim to minimize, where possible, the impact of the interventions and to integrate any new ad hoc elements into the original project.

The expansion envisages the construction of two additional floors with a glazed front that recalls the Milanese tradition of post-war towers, generating a volume that completes the building.

Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene
Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene

The original elevation's construction lines are revisited but interpreted in a contemporary key using a different material approach.

The existing building features bush-hammered concrete and a klinker cladding, while the new volume is characterized by the use of anodized aluminum and brick cladding with recessed and protruding courses, which create a new rhythm on the façade.

The intervention on the façade enhances the formal cleanliness of the vertical, straight, and parallel lines, highlighting their compositional rigor. The window frames are recessed, resulting in more pronounced shadow lines that give the façade greater dynamism.

Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella
Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene
Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene

The external reveal coated in bronzed sheet metal echoes the finish and color tones of the additional floor. The top of the window frame houses a lighting system consisting of an opal LED diffuser which, at night, emphasizes the rhythmic segmentation of the main elevation.

The lift well and the balconies on the inner façade of the tower are clad in bronze-colored micro-perforated stretched plate, which echoes the colors and finishes of the added floor and the windows' recesses.

The entrance to the tower is through an open-air lobby on Via Turati, adjacent to the Museum's entrance.

Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene
Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene
Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene

The redevelopment of the hall, which is also of great architectural value, highlights the original details through the removal of the superfluous additions built after the 1950s project.

The floor's mosaic decoration is thus brought to light, as are the grooves that incorporate a light source pointing to the same. The finishes and coatings of the new lift landing are in line with the pre-existing building.

The work environments created by the project in the indoor spaces are flexible and efficient open space areas that can be customized by future tenants.

Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene
Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene
Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella

Thanks to the large glazed surfaces, these functional and elegant office spaces enjoy excellent natural lighting and are enhanced by a spectacular view of the city: on one side the contemporary architecture of Porta Nuova, on the other the dense historical fabric of old Milan.

THE CLIENT'S VOICE

"The Torre della Permanente is not just a symbol of innovation and regeneration, but also a concrete example of how we can reconcile history with the future.

This operation perfectly aligns with our philosophy, which aims to preserve the cultural heritage of places while transforming it to meet new social and urban needs.

Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella
Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella
Torre della Permanente
© Francesca Iovene

In Park Associati, we found the ideal partner, with whom we share the vision of a renovation that respects and enhances the historical features of the building, interpreting them in a modern and innovative way." – Flavio Petraglio, CEO of Artisa Group.

THE ARCHITECT'S VOICE

"Intervening In Milan's Modernist Designer Buildings Is Always A Privilege. Recovery And Renovation Have Always Been Key Themes For Park Associati.

These Processes Imply The Ability To Take A 'step Back' From The Project, So As Not To Distort The Original Vision. In The Case Of The Torre Della Permanente We Sought To Maintain And Enhance The Formal Uncluttered Style Of The Building's Lines, Emphasising Its Compositional Rigour. The Intervention Is A Renewed Challenge To Engage With The Most Significant Milanese And Italian Twentieth-century Architectures, Ensuring They Remain Central To The Contemporary Urban Fabric, With The Awareness That The Most Sustainable Building Is The One That Already Exists."

Torre della Permanente
© Nicola Colella


Torre della Permanente
Section
Torre della Permanente
Elevation Piazza della Repubblica
Torre della Permanente
Elevation on Via Turati


Torre della Permanente
Plan - Ground floor
Torre della Permanente
Plan - 3rd floor

Torre della Permanente
Plan - 7th floor
Torre della Permanente
Plan - 13th floor
Torre della Permanente
Plan - General

Park Associati, S.r.l.
T +39 02 798452
Park Associati, S.r.l.
Via Garofalo, 31, 20133 Milano MI, Italy