Redo chosen for new urban regeneration project in Milan

The regeneration of Milan continues at a dizzying speed. The latest project underway is the conversion of a former slaughterhouse in the south-east of the city into an affordable housing and cultural hub. The city’s municipality has just presented the winning project for the €500 million redevelopment of the Ex Macello.

Aria, as the 150,000 sq m project is called, will be the largest carbon negative social housing project in Italy. The 15 hectares of currently abandoned buildings will be turned into a residential neighbourhood for over 15,000 families and students with a strong cultural component. Redo is head of the consortium that presented the winning Aria masterplan, with other partners including Chapman Taylor, IED and Barreca & La Varra.

In line with current sustainability criteria, over 30,000 sq m of existing buildings will be preserved, upgraded and re-purposed. The goal is to turn the existing wasteland into a green space for Milan that will be carbon negative thanks to the extensive use of green roofs, wood and eco-cement as well as photovoltaic systems and LEED Gold certified methods.

The Aria masterplan includes public spaces, community gardens, shops, areas equipped for sport, music, cinema and an open-air theatre as well as the international campus of IED, the European Institute of Design which has 4,000 students from 110 countries.

Residential accommodation at the heart of the Aria project

Residential is at the heart of the project, with a mix of student housing, private developments and social housing. The affordable accommodation component – around 1,200 units – will have tightly controlled rental levels, with a €500 cap on monthly rent for a three-bedroom apartment.  

The revedelopment of the Ex Macello area is part of the large-scale Reinventing Cities project, launched by the Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), of which Milan is part.

“Reinventing Cities was created together with C40 with the objective to rebuild parts of the city in an innovative way, respecting the highest environmental standards, bringing widespread benefits to the area thanks to a close synergy between the public and private sectors”, said Giuseppe Sala, Milan’s mayor.

He hailed the Ex Macello project, which shows how “a disused market can become a cultural centre of excellence, with quality construction at affordable prices, green spaces and services, combining the past and the future, architectural quality and sustainability”.

Urban regeneration is the way forward to “make Milan grow together with the great cities of the world”, Sala said.