Five stories rise before you. This is Casa Toninello. It stands on Via Perasto 3. Note its rationalist style. Let’s delve into the story of this interesting building.
Casa Toninello is a small apartment building. It is located in Milan’s Isola district. Architects Pietro Lingeri and Giuseppe Terragni designed it. Construction spanned from 1933 to 1935. Even in its modesty, it is an interesting example of rationalist architecture. It applies to an ordinary theme.
Cesare Toninello commissioned the house. He was an entrepreneur. He had made his fortune in the laundering and ironing of starched collars. Lingeri and Terragni designed several apartment buildings in Milan. Casa Toninello is one of them.
The house occupies a small plot. It is only 12 meters wide. It stretches 28 meters deep. Other similar plots bound it along Via Perasto.
The building comprises two structures. One faces the street. The other sits at the back of the plot. They define a small inner courtyard. A balcony connects the two structures. It leads to the stairwell. The stairwell is mid-way along the plot’s edge. It makes the most of the limited space.
The supporting structure is reinforced concrete. Pillars run lengthwise. They support three bays. The facade design derives from this structural division. It features advancing and receding elements. These fit within a grid pattern. A top cornice concludes the design.
Giuseppe Terragni and Pietro Lingeri realized this smallest house in Milan. It stands between other habitations. Its building width is only twelve meters. The plot has an elongated shape. This led the architects to design two separate bodies.
The higher volume has five stories. It borders the street. A four-story volume is at the back of the courtyard. Stairways and covered service hallways connect them. They provide access for the lodgers. The recessed ground floor features black Serpentine stone. The recessed penthouse floor contains the proprietor’s flat.
The central bow-window motif dominates the building. Strip windows and a cornice extend the lateral walls. They frame the various elements.
Casa Toninello stands as a testament to rationalist design. It embodies architectural innovation. It received recognition as an Italian national heritage site. It represents rationalist architectural principles in residential design. Casa Toninello continues to serve its original purpose. It remains a residential complex. It preserves its architectural importance.