Palazzo Galbani, Neues Bauen office building in central Milan, Italy.
Palazzo Galbani is a twelve-story tower in Milan with an octagonal footprint and a facade of aluminum and green thermal glass. Two adjacent structures along Via Fabio Filzi contain commercial spaces, while the upper floors provide open office areas without interior support columns.
It was designed between 1956 and 1959 by architects Eugenio and Ermenegildo Soncini along with engineer Pier Luigi Nervi as the headquarters for the Galbani company. This represented a notable collaboration between renowned Italian designers implementing modern engineering techniques in a corporate building.
The building represents an Italian interpretation of modern architecture through its distinctive concrete frame structure and thin reinforced concrete slabs. This approach was exemplary for efficient construction at the time, eliminating the need for internal support columns.
The building is centrally located in Milan and easily reached on foot, with two basement levels for parking and archives below the main tower. Visitors should note this is an active office building, so interior access is limited and viewing the distinctive octagonal shape from outside provides the best perspective.
The rooftop features a sculptural work by artist Enrico Ciuti, easily missed by passersby on Milan's streets. This piece reflects how the client integrated art into corporate architecture, a practice rarely seen in Italian office buildings of that era.
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