Tocqueville 13

Construction Design for the Transformation of a Historic Building in the Heart of Porta Garibaldi

In the Porta Garibaldi district, the building at Via Alessio di Tocqueville 13 is undergoing a radical transformation that will propel it towards the highest sustainability standards. B&B Progetti supported SERCOS during the construction phase, providing detailed design for construction across architecture and structural disciplines with BIM coordination. A project requiring executive precision, continuous coordination among stakeholders, and a pragmatic approach to design methodology management.

Services

Market

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

Location

Milan, Lombardy

Client

SERCOS

Developer

COIMA

Period

2024 - 2026

Architectural Design

OBR Open Building Research

Floor Area

7.000 m2 ca.

Project Background

The redevelopment of the building at Via Alessio di Tocqueville 13 represents a significant intervention in the urban regeneration of the Porta Garibaldi area, which over the past twenty years has evolved into a leading business district for Milan. Commissioned by COIMA and assigned to OBR Open Building Research for architectural design, the project transformed an office tower built between 1968 and 1972 into an asset compliant with current performance and regulatory standards.

B&B Progetti supported contractor SERCOS from construction commencement, providing detailed design for construction across architecture and structural disciplines, BIM coordination for the intervention, and multidisciplinary coordination with MEP consultants, facade suppliers, and steelwork contractors.

Scope of Works

The intervention included the addition of two floors at roof level, a new glazed extension on the south elevation, and complete facade renewal. Construction design encompassed structural reinforcement of beams, columns and slabs, restoration of deteriorated elements, and construction of the rooftop extension in steel structure. On the southern side, a new fully glazed volume with steel framework rises from a reinforced concrete base built in place of the demolished underground technical areas.

Coordination and Information Management

In an intervention of this complexity, coordination between diverse information flows becomes a design activity in its own right. B&B Progetti managed inputs from multiple sources, ensuring consistency among stakeholders with different requirements and timelines.

The BIM model served as the primary tool for MEP coordination and periodic uploads to COIMA, enabling clash detection and alignment across disciplines. During periods of peak operational pressure, CAD drawing production maintained continuity on site, with parallel BIM model updates preserving overall information coherence.

Operational Translation of the Executive Design

Refurbishments present complexities and discontinuities beyond design predictions that new construction does not encounter. Taking over from TEKNE’s executive design (architecture) and CEAS (structures), B&B Progetti translated technical specifications into constructible solutions, adapting them to as-built conditions. Integration of instrumental surveys into the design workflow enabled model recalibration to actual site conditions, maintaining alignment between documentation and construction progress.

Site Presence and Competence Consolidation

The building now stands within Porta Garibaldi’s urban fabric with a configuration of ten above-ground floors and glazed southern extension, integrating into the district’s contemporary architectural language. For B&B Progetti, Tocqueville 13 confirms the value of continuous site presence, a prerequisite for ensuring decision responsiveness and adherence between design and execution. The intervention has further consolidated experience in the refurbishment segment, a continuously growing share of the construction market where standard coordination requirements are augmented by managing an existing building with its inherent structural and MEP uncertainties.