2021.08
ATOMAA with Marcello Ascani
Interview
Milan, IT

Brera apartment was born from a private investment in a very pleasant part of the city center. The apartment sits in a beautiful building from the turn of the century, in a rather dense 'open railing house', a typology of building that is extremely difficult to realize today given the building regulations and construction norms. This typology of building, however, is very typical of Milanese residential architecture.

This building, which used to be considered as an ordinary residential building for the working class, is today in one of the most beautiful and most trendy neighborhoods in Milan and it holds up very well.

The apartment welcomes you immediately upon entering - and that's it, it's complete.
It was not necessary for the apartment to be overturned; firstly for the budget, and secondly because it already worked well on a spatial level.

It was important to construct something that had a very simple character, so we looked into reducing the materials to the bare minimum so that everything has its place.

The real job was to optimize all of the space, with every extra inch used for storage.

One of the most important parts of the apartment is the bed. It is raised off the ground so that underneath there is space for a real walk-in closet.

Brera apartment: Link

House in a constant transition is also situated in a historic building from the 1930s, one which holds a very Art Nouveau style.

The main goal for this project, was to have a very flexible house that could be both divided into rooms but potentially also be a large open space.

The spaces are defined by a series of curtains and sliding panels which help to either open or close the spaces, depending on the time of day and the functions which are associated with that time of day. If we can give the clients the opportunity to be flexible, we consider that to be a small victory.

It became fundamental that the main services of the apartment - ie. the entrance, laundry, bathroom and wardrobe - were situated in the darkest parts of the apartment, allowing for the more open spaces - ie. the living room, kitchen/dining room and bedroom - to benefit most from the natural light that the apartment has to offer. All of these open spaces, are separated by moveable panels or curtains, which is one way of controlling the light, but also the organization of the spaces.

House in constant transition: Link