Book Synopsis

The new headquarters of BFF symbolizes transparency and sustainability, reshaping the Milan skyline and providing a cultural centre for the whole city. Text in English and Italian

An elegant photographic book highlights BFF's new headquarters. Viale Scarampo, in Milan, saw the inauguration in 2025 of the BFF Banking Group's new headquarters, a building whose transparent airiness and environmental and social sustainability ensure it provides an entirely original contribution to the city's skyline. Designed by OBR (Open Building Research), the structure places the accent on the brightness of its interior and does not seek to compete in height with the skyscrapers of the nearby City Life district. The book is organized in a series of alternating photographs and text, drawing attention not only to the architectural features and the building's functional characteristics, but also to the aim of creating a working environment that is intimately linked to its surroundings, in contrast to the traditional view of corporate architecture.

Casa BFF is not only the headquarters of a B2B bank, it is also a building that embraces the neighborhood and the city as a whole, starting with the museum it houses, which is accessible to all and contains the BFF Collection of post-war Italian art. Here the visitor will find works by Valerio Adami, Franco Angeli, Enrico Baj, Alberto Burri, Lucio Del Pezzo, Lucio Fontana, Gianfranco Pardi, Mario Schifano, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Giò Pomodoro and Emilio Tadini. The Bank inaugurated the museum with an exhibition dedicated to Enrico Baj's series of 40 etchings inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost. The book does full justice to the exhibition spaces, as well as to the works that hang on the building's walls.

Text in English and Italian.

About the Author

Helen Barrett is a London-based journalist and author. From 2012 to 2022, she edited the 'House & Home' section of the Financial Times. Today, she writes about architecture, town planning, design and art for numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Financial Times and the Daily Telegraph. Christian Greco, director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin, who has always paid close attention to the relationship between museums and citizens, between culture and participation, takes this opportunity to reflect on the role and social function of museums and private collections. Hans Tuzzi is the author of the Metropolis (Rizzoli) and Vanagloria (Bollati Boringhieri), as well as a successful series of detective stories set in Milan that feature Chief Inspector Melis (Bollati Boringhieri). Tuzzi himself keeps his nose to the ground and knows all about the goings-on of the Milan metropolis, and his essay here focuses on the virtual triangle formed by Piazza Giulio Cesare, the site of the former trade fair and the San Siro racecourse. He employs his subtle, witty turns of phrase to explore urban and social transformations, relating curious and little-known anecdotes about this part of the city.