The Rebirth of a Historic Building Designed by Ulisse Stacchini

Just a short walk from Piazza Cordusio in the heart of Milan, Asti Architetti has redeveloped the historic building at Via Bassano Porrone 6, enhancing both its historical and cultural heritage. The 1909 building, Ulisse Stacchini’s personal interpretation of art deco, has been reborn, placing it among the city’s latest architectural landmarks.

Stacchini’s legacy and contemporary Milan

The former headquarters of the Credito Varesino bank and, more recently, the site of the Le Banque nightclub, the 20th-century building has a monumental façade with abundant decorations and frieze work that bring to mind Stacchini’s design of the city’s central station. The design team approached preserving the building’s architectural heritage as a cultural responsibility, not just a practical necessity.

Asti Architetti adopted a conservative restoration approach for the exterior, restoring dignity to the historic façade and reaffirming its place in the cityscape. At the same time, the interior façades were reworked in a contemporary idiom that respects the original rhythms while updating them to current stylistic conventions.

Inside, the lobby’s marble has been retained and highlighted as a testament to material continuity with the original building, while natural light from the octagonal lightwell, with its meticulously restored central skylight, has become the quiet focal point of the space.

Contemporary, dynamic offices

Totaling 5500 m² across five floors plus the basement, the offices are large, flexible spaces that can be arranged in different configurations. Large glazed openings on the lower levels and a glazed curtain wall on the new fourth and fifth floors promote openness and strengthen visual links between spaces.

The project includes a new breakout area. A lightwell brings a vertical shaft of daylight to the lower levels while visually linking the building’s different spaces. The basement has been converted into a large open-plan event space suitable for events, meetings, and conferences.

MEP upgrades contribute to delivering a modern, sustainable building and support the pursuit of LEED Platinum and WELL certifications. In this dialogue between Stacchini and Asti Architetti, between 1909 and 2025, and between historic marble and contemporary transparency, the project breathes new life into a historic building, balancing memory and innovation.

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