The building is located in the historic center of Rosate (Milan Area) and it is part of a row house complex with historical and architectural common features. The renovation involves both the internal layout and the external appearance. Given the age and the conditions of the building, a structural checkup was also necessary. The national and regional codes regarding any new building, renovation or even a façade painting inside the historic center perimeter are very strict.
Design and construction process
Verify the compliance to the latest health and energy codes and upgrade the building accordingly: installed a new heating system and solar panels for water heating. Created an opening for a new window.
Restore the building functionality and safety
The old bathroom was too small and was only accessible from the master bedroom. The client agreed to extend the master bedroom by eliminating the bathroom inside it and replacing the second bedroom with a new and bigger bathroom and closet. This solution allows the building to be safely reused as a home again.
Restore all relevant historic-architectural features
The in-depth comparison with the adjacent buildings was made much easier using terrestrial photogrammetry techniques: we used an image rectification software and high-resolution photographs to obtain scale elevations of the facades. These photo-elevations allowed us to study and to accurately measure the architectural details, virtually eliminating any perspective distortion. This analysis revealed all the relevant elements of the facades that can help to harmoniously fit the house’s exterior look in the row house complex: external canopy, doors and windows.
The in-depth comparison with the adjacent buildings was made much easier using terrestrial photogrammetry techniques: we used an image rectification software and high-resolution photographs to obtain scale elevations of the facades. These photo-elevations allowed us to study and to accurately measure the architectural details, virtually eliminating any perspective distortion. This analysis revealed all the relevant elements of the facades that can help to harmoniously fit the house’s exterior look in the row house complex: external canopy, doors and windows.
Preserve the historical urban tradition and artistic heritage by understanding the building’s history
We studied the building history related to Rosate’s historic center. The city’s regulation and codes are very strict regarding the structure and the appearance, especially for the façade facing the main street. This means that architectural elements, shapes, materials and colors must be consistent to existing raw building complex and the rest of the town center.
Add an extra staircase inside the house
The first floor was only accessible with a common staircase, which is a local historical peculiarity that nowadays would be awkward. The owner wanted a new internal staircase to allow him to have privacy. The building is extremely small and the structural masonry walls are thick (2.6 inches), so finding the room for a comfortable staircase was a challenge. The floor openings were also a problem because the main steel beams should remain intact, especially in such an old building. We decided to design a metal framed square spiral staircase with wooden finish.
The first floor was only accessible with a common staircase, which is a local historical peculiarity that nowadays would be awkward. The owner wanted a new internal staircase to allow him to have privacy. The building is extremely small and the structural masonry walls are thick (2.6 inches), so finding the room for a comfortable staircase was a challenge. The floor openings were also a problem because the main steel beams should remain intact, especially in such an old building. We decided to design a metal framed square spiral staircase with wooden finish.
