Torre Velasca, Milan's brutalist icon, is about to be transformed into the city's most coveted residential address

Have you always dreamt of living in an icon of brutalist architecture? The forthcoming Torre Velasca Residences in Milan can offer a vision of just that, thanks to an exclusive new group of luxury homes that are soon coming to market.

Occupying the top eight floors of the legendary high-rise, first designed by BBPR in 1958, the 72 new residences, which have launched their first phase this autumn, have been curated to perfection by Matteo Thun & Partners.

Explore the new Torre Velasca Residences by Matteo Thun & Partners

Thun's design draws on the tower's prominent position in the Milanese skyline and its architectural avant-garde spirit. The interiors, as a result, are elegant and nod to 20th-century modernism, yet still remain perfectly tuned to 21st-century needs and contemporary mod-cons. And while the project comprises levels 19 and 26 (the rest of the building is a hotel operated by METT Hotels & Resorts), the design scope also included a rethink of some of the communal areas, such as the main reception, the welcome lobby at the rear of the ground floor, and the corridors.

Says Thun on his approach in working with such a historically significant location: 'Reinterpretation is our key methodology when engaging with a legacy. At Torre Velasca, we allowed the masters and the building itself to speak, imagining a way of living within it that could accompany the building a little further into the future, adding a new chapter to its history.'

'In our design, we did not seek contrast with the existing building; instead, we started building our colour codes from the iconic pink plaster and the green and blue tiles of Torre Velasca. Where we felt the architecture had already achieved a sense of completeness, such as at the loggias and the rooftop that have an almost sacred quality, we chose not to intervene further. Sometimes designing also means recognising when there is no need to add anything,' he adds.

'The interiors look to Milanese design from the 1950s through the 1980s, where we collaborated with some of Milan's iconic companies, such as Molteni, Oluce, Cassina and Dedar, who had shaped the city’s identity as an international design capital. Different eras and locally rooted realities come together in a shared narrative of evolution and continuity: the ability to change over time while maintaining an intact sense of identity.'

To match the existing tower and the new interiors' vision and refinement, the residences will now be operated by Sunset Hospitality, which will offer high-quality resident services that will ensure frictionless living.

Thun concludes: 'Although the project focused on interior design, Torre Velasca first and foremost challenged us to think and work as architects. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this experience was precisely this: every time we crossed the building’s threshold, we discovered something new. It was, in every sense, a lesson in architecture.'

'Working within its walls meant constantly engaging with composition, construction details, and the relationship between the building and the city. At Torre Velasca, domestic space and urban space cannot be conceived as separate entities, but rather as parts of a single, deeply interconnected system,' the architect continues.

'In this sense, the project became a journey of discovery, in which the building itself became our first teacher,' Thun says. 'And perhaps this is the most important lesson it has left us with: in attempting to intervene in a work of architecture so rich in meaning, we received far more than we were able to give back.'