The Porta Romana railway yard: the team led by OUTCOMIST wins the urban regeneration masterplan

Coima SGR, Covivio and Prada Holding S.p.A, winning partners of the public tender for the acquisition of Porta Romana railway yard in Milan, announces the winning project: 'Parco Romana' presented by the OUTCOMIST team, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, PLP Architecture, Carlo Ratti Associati, with Gross. Max., Nigel Dunnett Studio, Arup, Portland Design, Systematica, Studio Zoppini, Aecom, Land, Artelia.

The project, called Parco Romana, places plants at the heart of the programme, while articulating it around two major axes: a north-south axis that creates a highly legible urban plan in terms of urban planning and functioning. And a green line linking east and west, allowing the presence of the railway tracks to be rethought and certain existing buildings to be preserved as a reminder of the site's industrial history.

Chosen among the six finalist teams (BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group; Cobe A/S; John McAslan + Partners; OUTCOMIST, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, PLP Architecture, Carlo Ratti Associati; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Europe) LLP - SOM; Studio Paola Viganò), the winning project was presented today during a press conference attended by the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, and the project partners.

The work of the jurytook place during two sessions on 29 and 30 March with extensive discussion given the excellent quality of all the projects presented.

The project >>

Parco Romana proposes a new model of integration between nature and city. On the one hand, the project regenerates a railway axis, on the other, the development brings together residents, 2026 Olympics athletes and visitors in a community with its own identity. Housing and offices live in symbiosis with the landscape and outdoor activities; the integrated planning of the neighborhood encourages pedestrian travel, creating a car free area for gentle mobility. The mix of public spaces and pedestrial paths hosts essential services and proximity trade as integral and living parts of the project.

The parc is the natural heart of the programme: a green area without architectural barriers that naturalizes the former industrial site, creating a new shared public asset rich in biodiversity. The east-west green line, which could propose a Milanese highline above the track beam to recreate permeability, aims to allow residents and visitors to cross the entire length of the site.

Parco Romanaintegrates a planning approach based on temporal modelling with a continuous evaluation of the life cycle. A design that relies on digital data and tools to optimize the use of space and resource distribution in real time. This approach, which also includes the creation of a digital model of the master plan, integrates and varies economic, social, cultural and environmental factors throughout the life cycle of the project.

The environmental and sustainability objectives of the project align with the protocols of the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan defined at the SDG level of the United Nations.

The development of the site focuses on:

• decarbonization consistent with local climatic conditions
• creation of a resilient community that promotes the health and well-being of citizens
• circular approach that brings value in the short and long term
• support for biodiversity, enhancement of natural capital, forestry and urban agriculture solutions.

The winning masterplan will be specified and refined by the end of May 2021. It will take into account the information received from the jury, the partners, and the observations and requests of the city collected with the Public Consultation phase, launched today and available on www.scaloportaromana.com.A tight schedule in order to meet the deadlines for the realization of the Olympic Village, for which the in-depth studies for the elaboration of the programme and the design scheme have already started.

Alexei Dal Pastro, CEO for Italy of Covivio, comments: 'Covivio will put its know-how and international experience at the service of this important project that will significantly contribute to the development of the city of Milan. Our goal is to create a new metropolitan area with a unique mix of uses and the ability to offer new forms of connection, innovation and sustainability. We strongly believe in this initiative and in its capacity to improve the liveability and inclusiveness of the entire neighbourhood, thus perfectly integrated with its environment and with Symbiosis and Vitae, our important developments already present on this site. We will focus our efforts on creating new generation, flexible, comfortable workspaces, conceived thanks to a design thinking approach with our stakeholders to foster well-being, creativity and social connection. '

Focus on Scalo di Porta Romana

Coima SGR, Covivio and Prada Holding S.p.A. were awarded the Porta Romana railway yard (an area that covers an area of ​​approximately 190,000 sqm) for €180M. The development includes a large park, which will extend for about 100,000 sqm, around which residences, offices, social housing, student housing and services interconnected to the entire metropolitan area. Inside the railway yard, Coima will develop the Olympic Village, which at the end of the competitions will be transformed into student housing with about 1,000 beds, the free and subsidized residential component; Covivio will develop office functions and services; Prada Holding S.p.A., mainly interested in the quality of the park, will build a building for laboratory and office use to extend its activities already present in the area.

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