URBAN BLOCKS AND ARCHITECTURAL TYPOLOGY IN THE MILANESE CONTEXT

Abstract

The paper concerns the analysis of a large number of urban blocks in the central area of Milan. It has been developed during the last year (course of: “Elements of Architectural typology”, prof. Michele Caja, coll: Carlo Biraghi and Sotirios Zaroulas). The theoretical elaborations by Aldo Rossi constitute the basic reference to this analysis. Moreover, some recent experiences are also considered, such as the research carried out by Steven Holl “The alphabetical city”. So, in addition to the four types of urban blocks that Aldo Rossi suggests – a block of houses surrounded by open space, a block of houses connected to each other and facing the street, a deep block of houses, and the houses with closed courts – it is suggested here some sub-categories of houses, such as the "L", the "H" house, or the "T" house, etc. In addition to a greater knowledge of the city of Milan, this operation has contributed significantly to the construction of the architectural project. In fact, the analysis offers the occasion for a greater familiarity with the terms of typo-morphological analysis and with the concept of block, which constitutes the minimum urban portion, and for this reason the basis for a study on the relationship between the city and its architecture.