The requalification works of the building called The Angle has found its origin in requirement of reviving Palazzo Meroni, located in Corso Italia 3 in the heart of Milan, through the inclusion of retail activities on the ground floor and offices in all the remaining floors above ground, while restoring in the meantime the original elegance of the facades.
Palazzo Meroni has a “V” shaped plan, from which derives its new name “The Angle”, with the main views along Corso Italia and via Maddalena, and is planimetrically divided into three buildings:
– a main body of 7 floors above ground and two underground floors, overlooking C.so Italia and via Maddalena;
– a secondary body, with 2 floors above ground and two underground floors, only facing via Maddalena in extension from the main body;
– a small volume, with a single floor above ground as well as two underground floors, located inside the courtyard and constructively independent from the other two buildings.
The building The Angle has a vertical supporting structure in reinforced concrete pillars with load-bearing masonry elements in solid bricks limited to the facades and stairwells, thus allowing the creation of flexible and wider interior spaces. The floor decks consist of one-way brick-cement floors while the roof slab of the first basement floor, in the courtyard area, has a solid concrete structure.
The main staircase of the building is made up of stone steps, cantilevered from the surrounding walls, with cast iron parapets. All the balconies of Palazzo Meroni have reinforced concrete cantilevers, with masonry parapets and cement columns.
To better meet the needs specified by the Client and the Design Architect, local restoration interventions were carried out on the structures which are concentrated on the ground floor and on the mezzanine’s floors between ground floor and first floor. In addition to the restoration of structural elements that present deterioration, the geometries of the mezzanines were therefore modified, some existing stairs were demolished, and new connecting structures were created between the floors of Palazzo Meroni.
For the requalification project The Angle of the Palazzo Meroni in Corso Italia, SCE Project has been involved in the preliminary, developed and technical structural design and in the structural construction management.
