BBPR was an architectural partnership founded in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 1932.

Partnership

The BBPR studio was formed in Milan in 1932 in a climate described by Giorgio Ciucci as “oscillating between differing and contrasting positions.” The name of the firm was an acronym derived from the first letter of each of the partners' family name: (1910–1945), (1909–2004), (1908–1976), and

Ernesto Nathan Rogers Ernesto Nathan Rogers (March 16, 1909 – November 7, 1969) was an Italian architect, writer and educator. Biography Born in Trieste, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he graduated from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy in 1932. He is the cous ...

(1909–1969). Their contribution to the development of

Rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...

is evident not only in their architecture but in their involvement with MIAR and the journal Quadrante born as a rival to Casabella. Their work held general appeal and was also appreciated and promoted by Edoardo Persico and Giuseppe Pagano at

Casabella ''Casabella'' is a monthly Italian architectural and product design magazine with a focus on modern, radical design and architecture. It includes interviews with the world's most prominent architects. History and profile Casabella was founded in ...

. Along with the editor Valentino Bompiani, the BBPR group is credited for the original idea for the Italian Civilisation building. The selection of the Guerrini-La Padula-Romano project was fraught with polemics since it is argued that their eulogy to the most Roman of architectural motif - the arch - is what won them first prize, a prize which some say deservedly belonged to the Milanese architects. Their adherence to Fascism was short-lived and they soon became members of the resistance: Banfi and Belgiojoso were imprisoned at the Mauthausen concentration camp where Banfi died and Rogers, being of Jewish descent, was forced into exile in Switzerland.The practice continued under the same name after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

despite the death of Banfi in Mauthausen

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...

. The firm came to notice after World War II with the abstract design for the Monument to the Victims of Nazi Concentration Camps, erected within the

Cimitero Monumentale di Milano The Cimitero Monumentale (" Monumental Cemetery") is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan, Italy, the other one being the Cimitero Maggiore. It is noted for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments. Designed by the architect Carlo Ma ...

. Located in the centre of an open plaza, its white, tubular frame encloses a glass cube that holds a mess tin containing blood-soaked earth from the

Mauthausen-Gusen Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with nearly 100 further subcamps located throughout Austria and southern Germany ...

concentration camp in Austria. Panels of black and white marble bear inscriptions about martyrdom and persecution, justice and freedom. Around the Monument, a series of tombstone-shaped plaques show an alphabetical list of names of Milanesi who died in concentration camps. BBPR reacted against the polemic of the

International Style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...

in 1954, with the creation of the

Torre Velasca The Torre Velasca (''Velasca Tower'', in English) is a skyscraper built in the 1950s by the BBPR architectural partnership, in Milan, Italy. The tower is part of the first generation of Italian modern architecture, while still being part of the Mi ...

in Milan, complete with its abstract medieval references. The tower responds to its prominent location near the

Milan Cathedral Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombard ...

in the city's historic centre. The firm were subsequently employed to create new interior spaces and exhibition designs for the museums housed within Milan's

Castello Sforzesco The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later reno ...

, which had been severely damaged by allied bombing in 1943.

Buildings and projects

*1933 - House of Saturday for the newlyweds at the V

Triennale di Milano The Triennale di Milano is a design and art museum in the Parco Sempione in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is housed in the Palazzo dell'Arte, which was designed by Giovanni Muzio and built between 1931 and 1933; construction was fina ...

(with Piero Portaluppi; - demolished) *1934 - Various rooms at the Italian Aeronautical Exhibition. *1935 - Building for homes and offices owned by Feltrinelli *1935 - Hall of tennis and Hall of motoring at the National Sport Exhibition *1937 - Rice deposits and nursery school in the province of

Vercelli Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...

*1938 - Eliotherapy colony, Legnano *1938 - Town planning and study of the pavilions for the new Trade Fair, Milan (project) *1939-1941 - Palazzo delle Poste at E42, via Ludwig Beethoven,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

*1945 - Milan City Plan, known as AR *1948 - Perego-owned residential and office building, Milan *1951 - INA-Casa district in

Cesate Cesate ( lmo, Scesaa , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan. Cesate borders the following municipalities: Limbiate, Solaro, Caronno Pertusella, Sen ...

, Milan *1954 - Exhibition hall for

Olivetti Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been pa ...

Fifth Avenue, New York Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

*1954 - Pavilion The children's labyrinth at the 10th Milan Triennale (demolished) *1956 - Restoration and refurbishment of the

Sforzesco Castle The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later ren ...

, Milan *1958 -

in piazza Velasca, Milan - (IN / ARCH Award for a completed work - 1961 *1959 - Office and residential building between piazza Statuto and Corso Francia,

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

*1960 - E. Ritter house in Stintino *1961 - Velarca, the 19-meter boat house anchored along the western shore of

Lake Como Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...

*1963 - Residential building in via Vigna, Milan *1964 - Hispano-Olivetti building in Ronda de la Universidad,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

*1964 - Piezometric tower in via Morane,

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

*1965 - Headquarters of the Italian Commercial Bank (today Banca Intesa), via Mariano Stabile,

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for it ...

*1967 - Case Andreatta in

Pinzolo Pinzolo ( Lombard: ''Pinsöl'') is a small town and '' comune'' situated in Val Rendena in Trentino in the northern Italian Alps at an elevation of . The Church of Saint Vigilius of Trent stands in the town. It is mainly known as a ski reso ...

*1968 -

New India Assurance The New India Assurance Co. Ltd., is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. "It is the largest nationalised general insurance company of Indi ...

residential and tertiary building in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...

*1969 - Headquarters of the Giornale di Sicilia, via Lincoln, Palermo *1969 - Office building (Chase Manhattan Bank) in Piazza Meda in Milan *1970 - Hotel in Capoliveri,

Elba Island Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nat ...

*1970 - Building between corso Buenos Aires, via Piccinni and via Monteverdi, Milan *1971 - Cinema Mediolanum in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Milan *1973 - Museum-monument to the political and racial deportee in the

Castello dei Pio Castello may refer to: Places *Castello, Venice, the largest of the six ''sestieri'' of Venice *''Castello'', the old town center of Giudicato of Cagliari in Sardinia *''Castello'', a neighbourhood in Florence *Castello, Hong Kong, a private ho ...

, Carpi *1974 - Palazzo Amoroso, Santo Spirito square, Palermo *1975 -

University of Calabria The University of Calabria ( it, Università della Calabria, UNICAL) is a state-run university in Italy. Located in Arcavacata, a hamlet of Rende and a suburb of Cosenza, the university was founded in 1972. Among its founders there were Beniamino ...

Arcavacata Arcavacata () is an Italian hamlet (''frazione'') of the municipality of Rende in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. Its population is of 1,831. History The name Arcavacata comes from an ancient fortress-lookout ''Arce-vocata'' ("arx suited"), ...

*1978 - Shopping center in

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, Literal translation, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi Arabic, Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyad ...

, Saudi Arabia *1980 - Hotel and party hall in the Casino of St. Vincent *1981 - Residential and office buildings in piazza Maciachini, in via Fetonte, in S. Siro, Milan and Bruzzano *1983 - Building for a chemical-pharmaceutical industry in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

*1987 - S. Bortolo Hospital 5th lot,

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the '' Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a t ...

*1988 - Restoration of Villa Castiglioni in

Magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish- red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish- crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and bl ...

*1989 - Chemical-pharmaceutical complex, Bari *1990 - ATM headquarters in via Monte Rosa in Milan *1991 - Renovation plan of the Old City of Kuwait *1994 - Complex for the University of Studies in the Annunziata area,

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 in ...

*1994 - Restoration of the

Palazzo Reale This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Mass ...

as the seat of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Milan

Gallery

File:Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Milano, 1963) - BEIC 6360403.jpg, Interns of Mayer Palace File:Torre Velasca.jpg, Torre Velasca in Milan, 1958 File:Milano - edificio Chase Manhattan Bank.JPG, Chase Manhattan Bank building, 1969 File:Cesate - Villaggio INA - edifici 82-83.jpg, INA Village in Cesate, 1954

Publications

* Fiori Leonardo, Pizzon Massimo (a cura di): ''B.B.P.R. La Torre Velasca'', Abitare Segesta, 1982. * Piva Antonio (a cura di): ''B.B.P.R. a Milano'', Electa, 1982. * Società generale immobiliare: ''Torre Velasca, 26 piani, 800 locali'', Società generale immobiliare, 1958. * Brunetti F.: ''La Torre Velasca a Milano'', Alinea, 1999. * Rogers E. N.: ''Il senso della storia'', Unicopli, 1999. * Marcello, Flavia, "Problems of Abstraction. BBPR’s Monument to the Fallen in Concentration Camps, Milan (1946, 1950, 1955)” in K. B. Jones and S. Pilat (eds.) The Routledge companion to Italian Fascist architecture : reception and legacy. Routledge, New York, 2020, 491–506.

References

* {{Portal bar, Art, Architecture, Society, Italy Architecture firms of Italy Construction and civil engineering companies of Italy Defunct companies of Italy Companies based in Milan Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1932 Italian companies established in 1932 Olivetti people