Il Disegno sostenibile ante litteram dell’architettura: la “Casa a ville sovrapposte” di Figini e Pollini a Milano

Can drawing be taken as an exploratory key to study a symbolic building of Italian Rationalism? This paper will attempt to do so on the Casa a ville sovrapposte in Via dell'Annunciata in Milan, designed by Figini and Pollini in the 1930s. This famous building could constitute the reversal of the established paradigm according to which rationalist buildings are always detached from the urban context of which they are part. The use of drawing as a cognitive tool can help us decode the complex of different instances underlying the design of this emblematic building of the early 20th century in Italy, including the designers’ intention to integrate nature into living, almost in an ante litteram sustainable approach to architectural design.