Casa Comolli-Rustici, Rationalist residential building in Milan, Italy.
Casa Comolli-Rustici stands at the corner of Via Guglielmo Pepe 32 and Via Cola Montano 1 in Milan's Isola district. Because Via Pepe borders open railway land, the building rises seven floors there and only four along Via Cola Montano. Suspended balconies link the tall, thin block to the low one, echoing the Rustici house on Corso Sempione, though the whole is a single articulated volume whose recessed masses cast shadows that suggest separate bodies.
The building was constructed between 1934 and 1938 as a commission from the Rustici family to house middle-class renters. The project by Pietro Lingeri and Giuseppe Terragni exemplified new Italian construction that merged function with modern form.
The building reflects Italian Rationalism of the 1930s through clean lines and functional spaces that shaped how residents lived. The strict geometric forms remain visible in the facade today, showing how modernist design once changed the way people inhabited their homes.
The building sits at the intersection of Via Guglielmo Pepe and Via Cola Montano, visible from both street sides. The facades with windows and balconies are clearly seen from the sidewalk, offering good viewing points from different angles.
The building appears as two separate structures connected by suspended balconies, yet operates as one coherent complex. This visual effect was achieved through the strategic placement of shadows that separate the two parts visually.
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