Twin Loft

Midway through the first decade of the new century, Milan underwent a singular opportunity of development, as dismantled industrial complexes were converted to new uses, generating the rapid transformation of the face and geography of entire boroughs across the city. One such occasion was the conversion of two building lots in a former factory area to accommodate residential units. The design of the twin studio apartments in question involves a symmetrical scheme tinged with a healthy dose of lucidity and sense of fun. The key to the project is the arrangement of the interiors, differentiated by furnishings and colour scheme, along with the distinct end-use of each space. In particular, the ground storey in both apartments comprises an entrance, an open-plan kitchen, access to a small back garden, a bathroom, and the stairs leading to the upper storeys. 

Facts:
Architects: Federico Delrosso Architects
Location: Milano (I), Italy
Year: 2007
Photo credits: Matteo Piazza

This staircase connecting the four storeys is the backbone of the two apartments, and furthermore its structural contribution also provides an essential aesthetic component, constantly shifting appearance in its ascent. Though in different ways, in both cases the staircase repeatedly offers constant viewpoints as it climbs airily through space, detaching itself from the solid volume of the ground-storey restroom. On the first storey of both apartments, which extend in parallel, part of the floor slab is glazed to allow visual linkage with the kitchen below, and vice-versa. The second storey gives onto a patio. This experimentation of the two units’ symmetry has inevitably led to the invention of variants, for example with black and white, in itself a binary expression of a single entity divided into two complementary parts