Tall & Urban News

C40 Reinventing Cities, a competition that is part of Milan’s strategic plan to transform underused railway areas on the site of a former freight terminal, recently selected L’INNESTO as its winning project.

The L’INNESTO project area spans 62,000 square meters and comprises three distinct parts: the former railway station next to the current Greco-Pirelli station, a green area on Via Breda Street, and an abandoned track overlooking the west of the Bicocca district.

Upon completion, L’INNESTO will be one of Italy’s first carbon-neutral social housing projects. The project will use a fourth-generation district heating system connected to the neighborhood and powered by on-site renewable sources. With a target of 60 percent green space, L’INNESTO will limit space for cars and prioritize bike parking, electric car-charging terminals, and a shared neighborhood car fleet. The design also includes a “Human Adaptive Zone,” with a collaborative neighborhood and an agricultural heart. Rainwater will be 100 percent reused, which will save 30 percent on drinking water consumption. Fifteen percent of wastewater will be treated directly on site.

The project’s CO2 balance sheet takes into account the construction processes and the following 30 years of management. L’INNESTO has been designed to achieve a zero balance throughout its life cycle.

The project was proposed by a team including Fondo Immobiliare Lombardia, InvestiRE SGR (manager), Barreca & La Varra (architecture and landscape design), Arup Italia (urban and environmental design), and Stantec (site remediation, wastewater and rainwater management).

For more on this story, go to Building Design + Construction.