Workers’ Housing in Modern Milan: Giovanni Broglio and the Società Umanitaria in the First Decade of the 20th Century Ornella Selvafolta Few architects in Milan have linked their names and their achievement to working-class housing as closely as Giovanni Broglio, ranging from the workers' housing built for the Società Umanitaria in Via Solari (1906) and Viale Lombardia (1909), to the direction of the technical department of the Istituto Autonomo Case Popolari di Milano (IACPM). From 1913 to 1934, Broglio designed or, at least, supervised the design of most of the housing quarters built in the early decades of the twentieth century. To his credit he had almost “100,000 home units”, as was written in an article published in 1956 on the occasion of his death, pointing out the 40 housing estates built during his twenty years direction of the IACPM: estates that have marked whole parts of the city and determined the way of life of entire generations. Among them, the two working-class quarters designed and built for the Società Umanitaria were intended as examples for the city of Milan, other institutions and society at large, showing new practical and efficient ways to improve low-cost housing. Broglio and the Società Umanitaria were guided by the powerful idea that environmental quality affects behaviour and that homes not only satisfy basic needs but also are essential tools for improving culture and education. The innovative features of the neighbourhood in Via Solari were such as to constitute an important signal to modern Milan; in 1906 it was presented with a certain emphasis at the Esposizione Internazionale del Sempione, which celebrated the opening of the railway tunnel between France and Italy. The event gave international audience to the Società Umanitaria and to Broglio’s realizations, that since then began to be studied and also imitated. Both the quarters of Via Solari and Viale Lombardia introduced a more careful study of the space plan and organization, showed a new attention to hygienic devices, and, above all, featured a wide range of modern facilities and social services that brought real improvements to working-classes ways of life, providing valuable models for subsequent research and activities in the field until after World War 1.
Quartieri operai nella Milano moderna. Giovanni Broglio e la società Umaniatria nel primo decennio del Novecento
SELVAFOLTA, ORNELLA
2013-01-01
Abstract
Workers’ Housing in Modern Milan: Giovanni Broglio and the Società Umanitaria in the First Decade of the 20th Century Ornella Selvafolta Few architects in Milan have linked their names and their achievement to working-class housing as closely as Giovanni Broglio, ranging from the workers' housing built for the Società Umanitaria in Via Solari (1906) and Viale Lombardia (1909), to the direction of the technical department of the Istituto Autonomo Case Popolari di Milano (IACPM). From 1913 to 1934, Broglio designed or, at least, supervised the design of most of the housing quarters built in the early decades of the twentieth century. To his credit he had almost “100,000 home units”, as was written in an article published in 1956 on the occasion of his death, pointing out the 40 housing estates built during his twenty years direction of the IACPM: estates that have marked whole parts of the city and determined the way of life of entire generations. Among them, the two working-class quarters designed and built for the Società Umanitaria were intended as examples for the city of Milan, other institutions and society at large, showing new practical and efficient ways to improve low-cost housing. Broglio and the Società Umanitaria were guided by the powerful idea that environmental quality affects behaviour and that homes not only satisfy basic needs but also are essential tools for improving culture and education. The innovative features of the neighbourhood in Via Solari were such as to constitute an important signal to modern Milan; in 1906 it was presented with a certain emphasis at the Esposizione Internazionale del Sempione, which celebrated the opening of the railway tunnel between France and Italy. The event gave international audience to the Società Umanitaria and to Broglio’s realizations, that since then began to be studied and also imitated. Both the quarters of Via Solari and Viale Lombardia introduced a more careful study of the space plan and organization, showed a new attention to hygienic devices, and, above all, featured a wide range of modern facilities and social services that brought real improvements to working-classes ways of life, providing valuable models for subsequent research and activities in the field until after World War 1.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
