Franco Albini's controversial 1949 rooftop extension of Villa Pestarini in Milan

The article examines the 1949 rooftop extension (sopralzo) of Villa Pestarini in Milan, designed by Franco Albini, as a pivotal moment in his career and a case study in postwar Italian architecture. The villa, originally built in 1937, was a celebrated example of Italian Rationalism, praised by Giuseppe Pagano in Casabella-Costruzioni for its "rational artistry." Albini initially refused the owners' request to expand the villa, only accepting when they threatened to hire another firm. The resulting extension used corrugated Eternit sheeting, deliberately contrasting with the original white plastered surfaces, and ignored the original compositional logic by merging two main volumes and misaligning street-facing openings. The article contextualizes this within Milan's broader vertical expansion trend, which began in the late 1940s with urban towers and rooftop additions. It contrasts Albini's approach with the mimetic "cappuccine" additions and cites BBPR's 1966 UniCredit building as another example of a detached, autonomous rooftop addition. The extension is interpreted as a personal reinterpretation of the relationship between architecture and industry, reflecting postwar disillusionment with rationalism and totalitarian regimes. The article concludes that the 1949 extension represents a rejection of an illusory past without yet charting a new path, which Albini would later find in his museum designs where tradition and modernity combined.