A neighbourhood that keeps its story
Reinventing Cities, Milan — a research-led masterplan for Ex Macello, Milan’s former meatpacking district, at 3XN / GXN.
LOCATION
Milan, Italy
SCALE
Urban masterplan
CLIENT
Reinventing Cities
YEAR
2020
STATUS
Competition entry
THE BRIEF
Ex Macello, Milan’s former meat market, now hosts music, art and nature. The brief: a masterplan that respects that culture and helps a community grow.
MY ROLE
The research and strategy behind the masterplan, as part of the GXN Research & Innovation team.
Intentions
Project intentions
A distinct, authentic identity is the starting point for a neighbourhood that lasts. We grow from the site’s existing story instead of importing a new, unconnected atmosphere.
👁 See
The visual identity of the site: a place where nature meets city.
❤️ Feel
The experience people will have here: a lively, village-like atmosphere.
🧠 Think
The values of this project: a resilient and inclusive community.
Combined, these three strategies guide us in creating a holistic, resilient and authentic sense of place.
The site
Potentials of the site
The existing structures give the site a clear identity and a strong brand, varying in quality, scale and materiality.
Turning old industrial areas into new uses is not only sustainable. It gives new facilities a unique look, and the chance for distinctive, place-specific housing that appeals to today’s city dwellers.
Strategy
Site and development strategy
How the site stitches into its surroundings, then the six approaches of our development strategy: an urban city edge, a lush green heart, a connecting flow, four identities, an active ground floor and vibrant public spaces.
Sustainability
Responding to the 10 challenges
Where the principles overlap
We believe in a holistic approach to sustainability: an internal ecosystem of strategies that support and reinforce each other at different scales. This helped us find where the strategies for each principle overlap.
We paid particular attention to these overlaps, because that’s where we can address several challenges at once.
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