The Pichi 12 project was initially conceived for residential purposes, catering to students and young professionals associated with the neighboring university centers, Naba and Bocconi. However, over time, the project has evolved into its ultimate manifestation as a residence intended for a broader audience. The architectural design of Pichi 12 is noteworthy for its deliberate avoidance of an iconic status, instead seamlessly integrating into the urban fabric of the Navigli area in Milan.
Project Name: PICHI 12
Firm Name: Park Associati
Location: Via Pichi 12, Milan
Client: Consorzio Cooperative Lavoratori, Milan
Typology: Residential
Competition (Invitation, 1st prize): 2014
Realization: 2023
Area: 2.244 sqm
Energetic Certifications: A1 Class
Professional Services: Architectural project
Design team
Founding Partners: Filippo Pagliani, Michele Rossi
Project Director: Alessandro Rossi
Project Leader: Alberto Ficele
Architects: Sharon Ambrosio, Alexia Caccavella, Antonio Cinquegrana, Sofia Dalmasso, Andrea Dalpasso, Lorenzo Merloni, Andrea Riva, Cristina Tudela Molino, Marco Vitalini.
Visualizers: Antonio Cavallo, Mario Frusca, Stefano Venegoni
Graphic designer: Marinella Ferrari
The Pichi 12 project showcases robust and unique design elements, including a juxtaposition of pristine white-plastered volumes and architectural intricacies like loggias and windows adorned with sheet metal. Through this approach, the project offers a reinterpretation of Milanese residential architecture’s modernism, resulting in an elegant and understated building.
A distinctive feature of the design is the courtyard, drawing inspiration from the urban courtyards found in historic Milanese residences. Traditionally internal and private, the Pichi 12 courtyard takes a departure from this norm by opening up to public life. It serves as a dynamic space, acting as a filter between individual home living and the shared experience of urban coexistence. This innovative use of the courtyard reflects a thoughtful blending of traditional elements with a contemporary and communal perspective.
The building is spread over three floors, with the ground floor reserved for communal activities and socialising. The flats, of different layouts and sizes, are all designed to accommodate a diverse community and guarantee a good quality of living.
The dry construction techniques that were studied for the building entailed the use of materials – such as steel – capable of creating both lightness and strength.
The façades of the Pichi 12 project are characterized by the creation of simple geometric volumes. Notably, the loggias have been meticulously carved out, resulting in a distinctive pattern of alternating solids and voids, openings and blind walls. This design choice achieves a harmonious yet discontinuous aesthetic.
A nod to Milanese architectural traditions dating back to the 1940s, the loggias feature clinker as a lining material. This choice pays homage to a widely used coating style in Milan during that era. In a deliberate departure from the predominantly white façades, the loggias’ back walls are adorned in a rich forest green. This infusion of color serves as the building’s sole chromatic note, resonating with the greenery within the internal courtyard. The careful selection of materials and colors contributes to the overall visual appeal of the Pichi 12 project, creating a balanced and visually striking architectural composition.
Park Associati
Founded in Milan in 2000 by Filippo Pagliani and Michele Rossi, Park Associati focuses on architectural design, urban planning, landscape, interior design and product design.
Park Associati’s approach to architecture is analytical, pragmatic and tailored, strong in tradition and at the same time capable of generating new linguistic codes through a process that combines listening, intuition and experimentation. Whether it is the Regione Lombardia skyscraper, the Luxottica or Salewa headquarters, a residential space, a Hermés, Brioni or Canali luxury boutique around the world, the retrofitting of a Milan’s Modernist building or the restoration of an entire neighbourhood, Park Associati sees each project as an opportunity to seek innovative, tailor-made solutions expressed through quality and attention to human beings.
