Abelardo Ferraresi (1903-1965), founder of Studio Tecnico A. Ferraresi, graduated in Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano in 1927 and began his professional activity in construction in 1933, during a crucial period in Milan’s urban history marked by a powerful drive toward modernity. Engineer Ferraresi was part of the large group of technicians and professionals who translated the work of many leading architects of the time into solutions of high constructive and functional quality. In his case, these included figures such as Ferdinando Reggiori, Giovanni Muzio, Luigi Dodi and Antonio Cassi Ramelli, with whom he collaborated on numerous occasions.

Among the works carried out during the first decade of the firm – alongside technical infrastructure projects such as the elevated water tank for Acciaierie Dalmine – are several rural, industrial and social buildings in which Abelardo Ferraresi acted as architectural designer, structural engineer and construction manager. These included the primary schools in Pieve Emanuele, Villa Ciceri in Sovico, the service building and first industrial halls of the Rivolta-Carmignani textile factory in Macherio, and the FIM Factory alongside Via Ponti in Milan. Plastic, economical, easy to source and to work with, reinforced concrete was Abelardo’s material of choice, through which he became a highly skilled structural engineer and one of the pioneers in the large-scale adoption of precast structures technique.

After the early years of the war, during which construction activity slowed, the bombings of 1943–1944 also damaged several monuments that symbolized Milan’s identity. Appointed by the Civil Engineering Authority to secure Palazzo Reale, the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, and the Palazzo del Senato against collapse, Abelardo Ferraresi had the opportunity to deepen his expertise in consolidation techniques and construction in confined spaces. This skills would later prove invaluable in his major work, the expansion of Credito Italiano in Piazza Cordusio, for which he served as construction manager. The post-war reconstruction period marked a turning point for Studio A. Ferraresi, bringing a series of varied and prestigious commissions.

These included the Italian-Swiss commercial border crossing at Como Brogeda, the reconstruction of the Verdi Hall at the Milan Conservatory designed by Ferdinando Reggiori – where Abelardo designed the structures alongside a master such as Guglielmo Meardi – and the restoration of the collapsed 16th-century dome of the parish church in Macherio. This was followed by commissions for both social and high-end housings in Milan, designed either by Cassi Ramelli or by Ferraresi himself; villas in Brianza and around the lakes; a series of schools in the metropolitan area, among which the one in Turbigo stands out; and numerous textile and metalworking industrial facilities. From 1959 onwards, he also began to involve in the projects his son Angelo Ferraresi (1933-2013), recently graduated in Hydraulic Engineering.

The early 1960s marked a major change of scale for the firm. Work progressed in a balanced manner, with Angelo focusing on structural and executive design, while Abelardo coordinated activities and cultivated the relationships needed to expand the range of projects. This period gave rise to Abelardo’s most ambitious project: the expansion of the Credito Italiano headquarters in Piazza Cordusio, developed in collaboration with architect Giovanni Muzio. It was an extremely complex assignment from both a design and organizational standpoint, to which Abelardo devoted himself without sparing any effort: in May 1965, however, he suffered a series of health issues that proved fatal. The leadership of the firm moved to Angelo Ferraresi, who completed the project within the scheduled timeframe, achieving a result of great prestige that would generate important commissions throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

This was a period of intense construction growth, driven by Italy’s industrial and financial development. Banks, insurance companies, financial institutions, industrial certification bodies, and both large and small industrial firms became the firm’s main clients. Under the guidance of Angelo Ferraresi, the firm gradually built an excellent network of professional relationships. Angelo emerged as a “full-scope project manager,” capable of providing strategic consultancy, setting the architectural framework of projects to be developed by trusted professionals, and coordinating structural design and construction management. Projects were carried out for Credito Italiano and Assicurazioni Generali, the expansion of the CESI and IMQ headquarters in Milan and of the Rivolta Carmignani factory in Macherio, the Oxon chemical complex, the Beta production plants in Sovico and Fonte Bracca, as well as hospitals and residential buildings.

The metropolis that never stops began to rethink disused industrial areas and semi-central and peripheral districts that had remained underutilized. Alongside long-standing clients – joined by major hotel chains and shopping center management companies – Studio A. Ferraresi had the opportunity to intervene in several strategic areas of urban and residential development, both public and private. This advanced project management activity encompassed urban, architectural and structural design, construction management, and the handling of complex administrative procedures. The flagship project of this phase was the redefinition of the Romolo intermodal interchange area on the southern outskirts of Milan, completed with two office towers of high technological quality.

Other significant works from this period include the redevelopment of a large industrial building in Via Faravelli; the construction of new laboratories and a canteen with auditorium for CESI (with architect Giorgio Ferraresi, Angelo’s brother); several buildings completing a city block on Via Ponti in the Barona district; and the refurbishment of a former coaching inn along the Naviglio Pavese canal. The Procaccini Center – an imposing office complex reconfiguring a large disused block opposite the Monumental Cemetery – represented the first major structural project by Engineer Andrea Ferraresi, Angelo’s son, who had recently joined the team. This demanding assignment confirmed his qualities as a structural designer, continuing the legacy of the two generations before him.

In the new millennium, Milan’s urban revival brought a new type of client to the forefront: the real estate developer. In Milan and across northern Italy, increasingly iconic landmark buildings were constructed, often based on the efficient reuse of existing structures. Advanced tertiary functions required highly specialized environments with sophisticated performance standards, enhanced by innovative technologies meeting strict sustainability criteria. It was within this context that Studio A. Ferraresi – led by Andrea Ferraresi from 2013 following Angelo’s passing – acquired numerous prestigious commissions and, through engineering firms and major construction companies, collaborated with leading figures of Italian architecture as well as with talented younger professionals.

The firm expanded its experience in integrated design and construction management for large-scale complexes, often located in emblematic areas of Milan’s regeneration such as Porta Nuova-Garibaldi and Cordusio. These years saw the beginning of a twenty-year consultancy appointment for the various Lombardy branches of the Bank of Italy; the demanding refurbishment of the Torri Garibaldi complex, designed by Progetto CMR; the Parco Vittoria residential development on the Portello area designed by Guido Canali; and in Turin, the highly technological redevelopment of the historic Agnelli Foundation, in collaboration with Carlo Ratti Associati: a commission stemmed from one of the most stimulating construction-design coordination projects undertaken by Studio A. Ferraresi: the renovation of the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum in Arese for FCA Partecipazioni.

In the new decade, Milan and Italy construction renaissance continued with the arrival of new global players determined to enhance further strategic areas of the city. Studio A. Ferraresi – AF Engineering, still led by Andrea and joined, since 2022, by his son Alessandro, recently graduated in Civil and Structural Engineering, has maintained the types of commissions already underway. At the same time, since 2015 the firm has further strengthened its expertise in construction and detailed integrated design, an activity that capitalizes both on its extensive site experience and on its long-standing ability to mediate effectively among the many actors involved in the construction process – an ability that has been part of the firm’s DNA for decades.

Among recent construction management and clerk of work assignments are projects of exceptional complexity in terms of both scale and critical schedules: from The Medelan retail and office complex, a complete redevelopment of the former Unicredit block in Piazza Cordusio, to the Segreen NEST business park on the outskirts of Milan; from the renewal of a complex multi-tenant office development on Via Quadrio in the Porta Garibaldi district to the sustainable regeneration of Torre Velasca, the internationally renowned and iconic architecture by BBPR. The contribution of Alessandro Ferraresi – specialist in structural design, particularly in precast structures, and in new concrete technologies – further enriches the firm’s expertise in this field: a return to its origins and an opening toward the future.