Industrial architecture inspires a villa renovation in the suburbs of Milan
Italian architecture studio Oasi has renovated an old house into an uplifting villa for a family, combining minimal design with warmth and character

Oasi Architects has designed an unexpected villa in Villaggio Ambrosiano of Segrate, a pleasant community in the Milanese suburbs. The house renovation has a unique new upper volume crafted in sheet metal. Its shape, which curves, shifts and folds around the lower level, has been extruded from imaginary lines extended from the urban planning regulation lines of the residential street.
‘We are often inspired by industrial architecture,' says Pietro Ferrario, principal at Oasi Architects. ‘There is something simple in its expression and clear in its execution.'
There isn't much industrial architecture in this quiet suburb, but the project required a refreshing approach. The former house on the site had been built in the 1990s and defied many of the local planning laws, leaving it essentially illegal. Working with the plot was always going to be tricky, but the client and architect worked together to make something of it. The client, a contractor who built the project himself, was aware of the legal problems associated with the house when he bought it cheap because of them. He called up Oasi Architects who gave him the confidence to take on the project.
Instead of a limitation, the architects used this as a starting point to shape the new design. Giving a new sense of character to the house, they defined the perimeter and shape of the new first floor by extruding the curves and alignments from the imaginary legal lines that the new house had to follow.
When they took the design to the local administrators, they loved the project, and even encouraged them to use a unique material for the facade. The contractor chose a metal facade system that was to give the house an industrial character.
While inspired by the crude simplicity of industrial architecture, Oasi Architects start each project with the same question: How can architecture contain life?
The interiors feature concrete floors at ground level and a grey stone staircase, however wood brings a lot of warmth. The window frames are made in pine wood the upper floors are oak. Ferrario's favourite moment of the house is the veranda space overlooking the pool – where the family can drink a glass of wine, while the partner prepares some lunch.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressing
Part of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
By Orla Brennan
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationship
Announcing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
By Hugo Macdonald
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craft
The heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
By Cristina Kiran Piotti
-
2026 Olympic and Paralympic Torches: in Carlo Ratti's minimalism ‘the flame is the protagonist’
The 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Torches for the upcoming Milano Cortina Games have been revealed, designed by architect Carlo Ratti to highlight the Olympic flame
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Anni Albers' weaving magic offers a delightful 2-in-1 modernist showcase in Milan
A Milan Design Week showcase of Anni Albers’ weaving work, brought to life by Dedar with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, brings visitors to modernist icon, the BBPR-designed Torre Velasca
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Milan Design Week: ‘A Beat of Water’ highlights the power of the precious natural resource
‘A Beat of Water’ by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group and Roca zooms in on water and its power – from natural element to valuable resource, touching on sustainability and consumption
By Ellie Stathaki
-
This Milan Design Week installation invites you to tread barefoot inside a palazzo
At Palazzo Litta, Moscapartners and Byoung Cho launch a contemplative installation on the theme of migration
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Milan Design Week: Dropcity challenges detention space design with 'Prison Times'
Dropcity's inaugural exhibition 'Prison Times – Spatial Dynamics of Penal Environments', opens a few days before the launch of Milan Design Week and discusses penal environments and their spatial design
By Ellie Stathaki
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizon
A peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
By Anna Solomon
-
Is biodesign the future of architecture? EcoLogicStudio thinks so
We talk all things biodesign with British-Italian architecture practice ecoLogicStudio, discussing how architecture can work with nature
By Shawn Adams
-
Meet Carlo Ratti, the architect curating the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale
We meet Italian architect Carlo Ratti, the curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, to find out what drives and fascinates him ahead of the world’s biggest architecture festival kick-off in May
By Ellie Stathaki