In the aftermath of the Second World War, a drastic housing shortage spread across Europe, and Milan was no exception. Various plans and solutions were conceived to address this crisis, outlining satellite communities for the city to accommodate between 50,000 and 130,000 residents each. The first of these communities began construction in 1946, just one year after the war's end: the Gallaratese project.
In late 1967, as the plan allowed for the private development of Gallaratese 2, the esteemed Studio Ayde, led by partner Carlo Aymonino, was assigned the project. Aymonino invited Aldo Rossi to contribute his architectural skill to the complex, leading to the realization of their distinct visions for an ideal microcosmic community. Together, these two Italian architects began a journey to shape a groundbreaking and historically significant housing icon for Milan. Captured through the lens of Kane Hulse, the building and it’s significance is revisited through this photo series.
The architects’ joint interest lay in creating authentic urban communities with all the various elements of a functioning society: residence, commerce, industry, and more. The housing complex, Gallaratese, was their chance to combine these elements and test their capabilities. The scheme was very much inspired by a group of Modernist architects named Project X, whose sole belief was unifying isolated residential blocks into more unified urban districts.
Both architects were captivated by the Unité d’habitation in Marseille, a project completed in 1952. Le Corbusier's modernist approach and community-building theory served as a profound inspiration for them. Despite this shared influence, Rossi's contribution to the design starkly contrasts Aymonino's vision. Rossi's creation takes the form of a primary rectangular building, standing as a rigid, white-plastered, self-contained block spanning 200 meters and elevated above a ground-floor colonnade. Moreover, retail and commercial spaces were designed along Rossi's ground floor colonnade.
A complex of five structures, including A1, A2, B, and C, was created using the utopian urban ideas of the two architects. Aymonino used the stepping shapes, inner and outdoor circulatory routes, and cellular spatial organization of Roman examples like Trajan's Market into A1 and A2, the eight-story blocks that make up the site's southern border. B is a 6-story slab that is located where the two come together at a shallow angle and extend north from the juncture. There is an outdoor amphitheater at this intersection and two triangular piazzas for public use on either side.
The Gallaratese Quarter in Milan stands as an icon of architectural history today. This urban neighborhood is a prime example of post-war problem-solving architects in Europe were experimenting with. The Gallaratese Quarter's combination of rigid, independent blocks and modernist influences has permanently altered the skyline and the city's history. This complex serves as a living example of how design and architectural theory can influence aesthetics and enhance our understanding of community building.
