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What will soon be emerging through redevelopment of the Ex Trotto Milano site ‒ with the conversion works scheduled to start in 2024 ‒ is a new distinctly pedestrian-oriented urban district. Derelict since 2012, the site will integrate the extensive process currently underway to transform the entire area into a sustainable neighborhood, thanks to a €450 million investment by Hines, the global real-estate development and management company, which has signed an implementation plan with Milan City Council.
The EXTM - Ex Trotto Milano project masterplan, involving over 130,000 m2, has been developed by the international studio Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), which will see to the urban regeneration works in the area, owned by the Invictus fund (managed by Prelios) and the Bistrot fund (managed by Natissa SGR). This will reopen the area to the surrounding neighborhood, which it will soon be connected to through a pedestrian and cycle network. Its significant ecological footprint will go to benefit the whole city of Milan. In fact, an area of 50,000 m2 will be assigned to creation of a new park, designed by the international firm LAND, with the planting of 700 new trees, shrubs and local species.
The heart of the project is the social and community value of the site, where its historical identity is protected in the architectural renovation, entrusted to Studio Freyrie Flores Architettura, of the historic buildings ‒ former stables and barns ‒ subject to restrictions; these edifices will soon be premises to new education and business services. A 1-km oval-shaped linear park following the layout of the Ex Trotto former horse-racing track will also be created.
"The EXTM project embodies the key principle that inspires all our urban developments, which is to give a social response to the needs of the local community, with particular attention to the needs of the weakest groups in the local population. Creating social value is in fact the mission that guides our projects, aware of the increasingly urgent need to act in an integrated and systemic manner, first and foremost with the institutions, to combat the polarization of our cities. This is why we focus on projects that aim to restore dignity to all those areas of our cities that today do not guarantee adequate access to neighborhood services and where there are no recreational spaces for the community. These areas have often been abandoned for decades, but have historical worth that, as in the case of Milan's 'Ex Trotto', is a value to be preserved in the construction of the future identity of a new, inclusive and sustainable urban district open to the city, which we hope can serve as an innovative development model for other entities."
Mario Abbadessa, Senior Managing Director & Country Head at Hines Italy
Hosting over 3,000 people, the redevelopment will provide public facilities and green spaces, besides a variety of neighborhood-scale commercial businesses. The project proposes the convergence between innovation and historical identity, so as to fight fragmentation of the local area and the lack of neighborhood services.
There will also be a 3,600 m2 urban market, and this will house rent-capped premises for local producers, who will be able to sell their zero-mileage products, as well as artisans' workshops and recreational and meeting spaces ‒ the aim being to encourage local social reintegration and to create employment opportunities for residents.
Besides the urban market, there will also be education and sports services, set up thanks to synergies with the local administration. These will significantly foster socialization not only for families but also for the youngest users.
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The project will provide 700 new furnished subsidized-rent housing units for the elderly and families, plus 600 homes for sale on the free market. These will be built by Borio Mangiarotti, in partnership with Hines, respecting the highest international ESG standards regarding eco-sustainability. In fact, EXTM aims to position itself as the best in its class, intending to obtain LEED certification and to have its edifices classed as nZEB (net Zero Energy Building), since they will be built with minimal environmental impact and low CO2 emissions.
The housing units will be of varied sizes, sustainable and suitable to various types of residents, who will be able to benefit from a series of people-centered services such as co-working, babysitting, gym and concierge services as well as multi-purpose halls.
The district will be one of Milan's first in line with the 15-minute city model: heavily encouraged by Milan City Council, this seeks to establish neighborhoods that are accessible and integrated with the city while also self-sufficient, offering local shops and innovative production enterprises with distinct social impact.
The program planned for senior citizens will offer events and experiences aimed at fostering socialization and inter-generational exchange, with social and cultural initiatives open to the youngest and most vulnerable groups of society. Children too will benefit from many initiatives, implemented by numerous associations, such as the Portofranco association that offers a free after-school service as well as socialization and counseling activities. The association has also been appointed to manage the education services in the neighborhood's new urban hub, and these will include facilities inside the protected historic buildings converted from the former barns. In addition, there will be a crèche for about 60 children, with 50% of its places available at subsidized rates, and a local council-run kindergarten for 125 children, which will be built in the north-west of the district, on a site owned by the city council.
Instead, a 4,200 m2 area will be assigned to sports facilities for the community, for use at special rates. A sports hall with seating for 100 spectators and open to amateur sports associations will be built, along with a 200 m2 gym and padel courts, so as to fully cater to the neighborhood's sporting identity.
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Location: Milan, Italy
Area: 130.000 m2
Developer: Hines
Masterplan: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
Architecture: Studio Freyrie Flores Architettura
Landscape: LAND
All images courtesy of Hines Italy
