Near the Bocconi University campus, an anonymous building, a typical post-World War II intervention, has been converted into a student residence.
It is located in the Gentilino neighborhood, on Via Balilla, in Milan near the Parco della Resistenza.

The building, with one facade towards the street and one facing the inner court, counts four floors.
With the goal of energy upgrading, an overcoat with a paint finish was created on the side facing the courtyard.
On the side facing Via Balilla, the coat was covered with diamond ceramic tiles, while the terraces on the second and third floors were extended without changing the facade massing. The Building Regulations of the City of Milan constrains any intervention on projections to a height of more than 5 meters, so it was not possible to adapt the balconies on the second floor (which are at a height of 4.8 meters).
A metal grid, which will accommodate climbing plants and pots – also clad in ceramics – gives character to the central part of the elevation and homogeneity to the facade design.
The entrance gate, inserted in the basement, has been updated in harmony with the metal frame, an element that connects with the balconies.

“We chose to interpret the constraints imposed by Milan’s building regulations as an opportunity, attributing to the ceramic material the ability to design architecture in combination with light. A gentle and domestic nature transforms the simplicity of a frame, creating games of shadows and colors throughout the day, the weeks, the months.” Alfonso Femia