Milano Santa Giulia

With the Expo 2015 coming up, one would be forgiven to think that Milan is in a process of completely reinventing itself. But perhaps the most ambitious project of all is in fact under development in the southeast of the city, where developer Risanamento is planning a whole new city district: Milano Santa Giulia. Internationally renowned architecture firm Foster & Partner devised a complex masterplan for this project, but to give character and soul to the district, Design International was brought in to work on the retail and leisure component of this 'city within a city'. Milano Santa Giulia is located 15 minutes South East of central Milan, in an area that was long known for its industrial character. Changes in the area's infrastructure, which saw most industry relocate elsewhere, prompted a number regeneration plans in recent years, but it was only when developer Risanamento was brought on board, that those plans started to move in the right direction. Risanamento put together a team of the best players in the architecture and property industry, with Foster & Partner devising the overall masterplan, envisioning a district encompassing all the essential components of a self-contained community. Milano Santa Giulia will be a ‘city within a city’, and its residents will be served by a number of facilities including office buildings, a museum, educational services, an entertainment and leisure arena, and sports facilities. There is also one of the largest parks in Milan, which is integrated into Milan's green network. For the retail component, situated at the heart of Milano Santa Giulia, developer Risanamento felt it essential to bring in an expert in the field, and so Davide Paoda of Design International was brought on board to work in direct collaboration with Foster & Partner. Davide and his team have devised an innovative concept that totally breaks with the conventional enclosed mall concept, and instead envisions an open network of small streets and plazas over several terraced floors. To add to this, there will be trees and green spaces in abundance, as if the nearby park had literally been brought into this shopping and entertainment district. With Milano Santa Giulia, Design International continues to set trends with new and open approaches to retail architecture, after having designed Odysseum in Montpellier, France, in 2009, which is one of the only open-air malls in Europe.