LOFT is a urban rural community, shaped like a British country hill. The concept behind its design is to bring countryside in a city centre from many points of view. First, a wide park at ground level, a place for walking and meeting people, for concerts and art performances: a green island in the middle of city chaos. Secondly, the rising park: a green ribbon that rises around the entire building to reach "the hilltop". Such a green way is a conceptual path in order to leave the city "grayness" behind. Finally, "the hilltop" is a real "locus amoenus" over the city rumble, combining the beauty of the city landscape to the peace of a completely green setting.

In the middle, the main body is the "hill", a gigantic layered greenhouse providing fresh vegetable to the people and fresh food for a small amount of animals living there, such as donkeys for pet-therapy use and chickens for eggs production. The hill is the most symbolic shape of the entire building, completing the real "country" experience with an actual farm and crops.

At the side of the hill there's the "vertical village": a large residential area characterized by a complex and varied composition of houses and green areas. This particular conformation gives a unique identity to each and every house, avoiding the "impersonal" flat façade, typical of city buildings and allowing anyone to easily identify his home, helping people to keep their identity, despite the typical urban depersonalization trend.

Design Team team leader - Leonardo Mussetola lead designer - Chiara Lodi Rizzini co-designer - Gaia Barbieri co-designer - Sara Chiari co-designer - Cristina Gandolfi