OMA Wins Competition for Adaptable Masterplan of Milan's Disused Railway Sites

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OMA has won a masterplanning competition for the redevelopment of the Scalo Farini and San Cristoforo sites, two disused railway yards north and south of the periphery of Milan. Led by OMA’s Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli and Reinier de Graaf, and co-designed with Laboratorio Permanente, the “Agenti Climatici” scheme revolves around concepts of ecological filters and adaptable development. The OMA scheme triumphed over finalists including Baukuh, Arup, Grimshaw, and Kengo Kuma.

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The winning proposal designates the Scalo Farini site and San Cristoforo site as a green zone and blue zone respectively. Both zones work as ecological filters, with the green zone serving as a vast park which cools hot south-westerly winds and purifies toxic air, and the blue zone cleaning the groundwater and creating a landscape for both humans and animals. These two zones therefore regenerate the ecology of Milan through clean air and water.

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In this vision, public space (including water, greenery, and bridges) is fixed, while buildings are residual and uncertain. In Farini, the scale of developments will be influenced by the city’s future economic developments, thus creating an adaptable and resilient spatial framework that can respond to shocks both economic and political, national and global.

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In a moment of dramatic environmental transformation and permanent economic uncertainty, our priorities have changed. The most valuable currency is no longer ‘brick’ – the built – but rather the climatic conditions that cities will be able to provide and ensure for their citizens. The city of the twentieth century, with its high energy consumption, must be overcome by reconsidering the principles that have marked urban development since the classical era.
-Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Partner, OMA 

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The competition for the scheme’s design was organized by public transport companies Ferrovie dello Stato, FS Sistemi Urbani S.r.l. and RFI, in collaboration with the municipality of Milan, the Lombardy region and developer Coima SGR.

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The winning team consisted of Laboratorio Permanente (IT), Vogt Landscape Architects (CN), Philippe Rahm Architectes (FR), Net Engineering (IT), Ezio Micelli (IT), Arcadis Italia (IT), Temporiuso.net (IT) and Luca Cozzani (IT).

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News via: OMA