Hostel Mediolan is localized in the very center of Milan. A very particular area, rich in valuable architecture, and unique urban tissue. In the closest vicinity of the site there are mainly housing buildings, although one street is shared with police office. Relatively close to the site there is a big urban axis via Torino, which leads direction of the urban tissue. Presumably most visitors will reach the hostel from via Torino. The surrounding architecture is rather consistent in its profile. Narrow streets, 3-4 floor buildings (albeit standard height of one floor is 5 meters), stone details, plaster finishing. First floors usually host services or shops, and often are opened with arcades.
In terms of relation to its surroundings the building is to blend in with design of the divisions, details and formal language, remaining separate fresh statement. Underlining aesthetic value of its environment, both by seamlessly continuing and stating a contrasting rapport. This way the project honors historical neighbors’, and refreshes the area by bringing contemporary quality.
General concept of the project operates on rhythm and structure. Two main facades have a simple rhythm. They are ascetic in terms of form. Finished in plaster to avoid visible material joints. Only arcades and windows. The wall is shaped in a zig zag so that by looking at the facades we cannot perceive any depth. They seem to be almost paper-thin. Then the rhythm of the openings is projected to the inside, and superimposed. Now using the same basic geometrical rule we obtain a multidimensional complex and dense structure. This in realty is nothing more than façade replicated in many directions and dimensions and overlayed number of times. The building has two contrasting faces. Simple, opaque, solid, flat, dimensionless, ascetic exterior. Deep, transparent, translucent, visually complex, dense and involving interior.
Rules that drive form of the building:
-Closed exterior façade, clearly different from interior and stating strong border between street and building.
-5 meter high floors
-Simplified arcades rhythmically corresponding to environment
-Rich courtyard/interior façade, clearly different from exterior and less formal and rigid.
Façades take typical and most common elements of milanese architecture and simplify them to the pont of obtaining pure and most essential design. Proportions of arcade are derived from neighbours. Frames of arcade openings are aligned with the wall. Frames of small windows are outside of the wall, reminding of window shutters, so popular in italy.
Wall is zig-zag shaped from the inside and flat from the outside which hides all the thickness. All the openings have a kind of niche from the inside. The jambs are as thick as frames. Looking at the building from outside mass of the wall is invisible.
Biggest part of the site is dedicated to the great courtyard. This place serves as enlargement of services localized in the ground floor. The hall in the west wing can be opened to the courtyard, just as multipurpose space in the north part. Whereas eastern side is dedicated to the restaurant that seamlessly blends in. Structure of the big courtyard is driven by structure of the building. Square grid of poles fills the area but for the very middle. This is to give possibility of adapting big courtyard to various needs. It can hold big cultural events, expositive pavilions, or parties. Milan is known for its numerous events that take part in courtyards, the hostel is prepared to hold them. The poles standing on the courtyard serve various purposes, first they give order to the space, second they can be used as support for plants or canopies, third they can serve as a base for staging the courtyard for any event. Rhythm of the poles follows rhythm of ground floor, so it can be a seamless extension of multipurpose expositive space.
Hostel has three kinds of rooms:
-Short stay rooms – These are located close to the main entrance. Each of them has 8 beds and 8 small containers. Toilets and showers are shared.
-Long stay rooms – 6, 8, or 12 beds. Long stay rooms are in the main part of the bulding. They have private bathrooms and showers. Rooms are bigger and equipped with some leisure furniture like sofas etc.
-Suites – 2 bed suites are elegant hotel rooms in high standard. They are located in a separate part with separate entrance. They are spacious, equipped with high quality furniture, and private toilets.
All of the surrounding buildings are equipped with a small courtyard that serves as staircase, and hosts surprisingly dense vegetation. These courtyards have very intimate air to them, they are very private space and opposed to rigid and solid facades from the street. The hostel is going to continue this element. There are two courtyard-wells localized on two most probable entrances to the site. The triangle one is main entrance, and holds reception, the rectangle holds café-restaurant. These two wells break geometrical rule, and stand out from the structure, they accentuate entrances, and also serve as main staircases. As opposed to the rest of building the small courtyards are full of vegetation, growing and winding on the steel structure, creating beautiful and intricate patterns of light and shadow. Replicating atmosphere of Milanese courtyard, intimate, visually rich and juxtaposed to exterior. The wells have a number of sitting places distributed on all the levels, that let visitors enjoy themselves in this special place.
As stated before, room height is 5m. In every room there is a steel structure. This structure holds modular panels of three kinds. Panels close steel skeleton so that whole piece is perceived as architecture not furniture. This structure is the integral part of every room. At the same time enabling full use of given space and creating a uniqe and visually interesting interior. Giving many opportunities and possible uses.
Axonometry on the left show sequence of elements. From bottom:
-steel frame that acts as main construction,
-supporting frames, making whol structure stiff and used to attach panels,
-railing and stair support,
-flooring and steps of the stairs,
-bed modules, with small container
-ladder modules, to reach higher beds
-blank panels, to close remaining parts.
