Ca’ Brutta, Residential complex in Porta Nuova, Milan, Italy

Ca' Brutta is a residential complex in Porta Nuova consisting of two six-story structures separated by a private street. The facades display travertine at the base, gray plaster in the middle section, and white marble details at the top.

Giovanni Muzio, aged 26, designed the complex for the Società Anonima Quartiere Moscova on the rectangle between Via Moscova, Turati, Cavalieri and Appiani, where the villa Borghi and a monastery orchard once stood. Construction ran from 1919 to 1921 (some sources say 1923). It was Muzio's first major work and a manifesto of the Novecento movement, built in reinforced concrete.

Milanese nicknamed it Ca' Brütta, "ugly house," mocking the mix of classical and modern elements. The building commission was furious when the scaffolding came down: facades had not been submitted for approval, and the inner street's giant columns, obelisk-topped doors, inverted window ornaments and giant vases were judged too ironic. Muzio had to negotiate changes.

The complex was the first residential building in Italy to feature underground communal parking for residents. This innovative parking solution was integrated directly into the building design itself.

The private street, Via Cesare Mangili, was cut through the block so that as many flats as possible would face south, reducing the number of rooms looking onto Via Cavalieri to the north. The two bodies are joined by a portico spanning this lane, and the inner facades carry the most playful classical details.