During 1964, the municipality of Paderno Dugnano commissioned the architect Marco Romano to prepare the design of a new “town’s Civic Center”. The project was developed in the winter of 1964 under the “influence” of the center realized in Cumbernauld by Hugh Wilson: organized with different levels to access the buildings with pedestrian passages, and having 4 meters underground parkings. Unfortunately, it was realized only one complex for some “civic functions” (INAM’s services, local police station, a small apartment building). It consists of two symmetrical buildings and a “patio” with two levels of pedestrian paths to access the different “civic functions”. The exposed reinforced concrete structure (designed by Eng. Marco Locatelli, and cast in situ) is modular and consists of a combinations of parapets, frames and reinforced concrete beams. From all the rooms you can look outside through large window frames to the floor. They avoid the “prisoner effect” of the concrete parapet. A small path turns all around the building with concrete seats that help to welcome instead of rejecting you. Over a concrete load-bearing beam which holds the curtains and a continuous cavity system, a slice of heaven is always visible.
(INAM : National Institute for socialized health insurance)

In use. The building hosts the ASL’s Services.
The exposed reinforced concrete structures are, from a recent stability test, in a very good conditions. They need only an aesthetics restoration to recover the 50 years of life with poor maintenances. The weakness of the building is the energy consumption to support the grow of ASL’s services. That means it needs an “energetic regeneration”, that should be possible with the new available technologies without altering the original, well done design.
(ASL : local health authority)

Special thanks to Ottorino Pagani