Matteo Thun designs 72 apartments at the top of Milan's Torre Velasca

Torre Velasca, the mushroom-topped tower BBPR designed in 1958, is one of the most recognisable shapes on the Milan skyline. Its top eight floors are now being turned into 72 apartments by Matteo Thun & Partners, with the first phase launched this autumn. The rest of the building is a hotel run by METT Hotels & Resorts.

Thun describes his approach as reinterpretation rather than contrast. The colour scheme starts from the tower's own pink plaster and its green and blue tiles. Where he felt the building was already complete, at the loggias and the rooftop, which he says have an almost "sacred quality", the studio chose to leave things alone. The interiors look back to Milanese design from the 1950s to the 1980s and were made with Molteni, Oluce, Cassina and Dedar, while still allowing for modern comforts. The work also reached into shared spaces, including the main reception, a rear lobby on the ground floor and the corridors.

Sunset Hospitality will run services for residents. These are private homes rather than somewhere to stay, so there is nothing to book. Still, it's a thoughtful read for anyone who loves postwar Milan, and a reason to look up at the tower next time you pass.

Our summary of a story from Wallpaper*, published 2 November 2026. Read the original

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