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The realisation of the project at Via Varesina 204 was born with the aim of regenerating a building together with the urban space surrounding it in a perfect dialogue between the important architectural pre-existence and the up-to-date needs of those who live in the city, between public and private space. A project that opens up to the neighbourhood with a square that aims to reconstruct an economic, urban and social fabric that has been absent for years and where there are currently four restaurant activities open to the public.
The biophilic approach to design and the incessant research on sensorial experience and sustainability, which place man and nature at the centre of the architecture, are at the basis of the design that characterises the studio's work.
A specific request from the landscape commission, aimed at preserving the forms of the historical industrial architecture, led the team and Giuseppe Tortato to the decision to maintain the geometries of the pre-existing barrel vaults, which have been largely preserved and still cover about 50% of the lot. Three large tree-lined patios have been inserted in the historic central body, bringing natural light into the workspaces and increasing the outward-facing views. Dynamic and unpredictable environments are characterized by a strong biophilic component to guarantee well-being and high-quality standards for those who use them. An architectural design that comes together with the landscape design so that the natural element and greenery are an integral and inseparable part of the building.
The redevelopment project incorporates sustainability objectives, which are increasingly in demand in the world of construction and green building, and will be LEED certified. The buildings were constructed using materials with a high recycled content, thus reducing the consumption of raw materials according to the fundamental principles of the circular economy. The intervention included the installation of a photovoltaic system that contributes to reducing the negative impacts generated by fossil fuels. Thanks to the LEED certification, the project will actively participate in the mission proposed by the UN with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and become a flagship of the Milan Certosa area.
The collaboration with the client, RealStep, is one that we have been carrying on successfully for several years and with which we have already intervened in the Milano Certosa District area. In this project, the challenge was to make the new dialogue with the old, to find the right balance between the need to keep the structure unchanged, as required, and the needs of the new users. The objective was to open a space closed to the public, incorporating commercial activities that would breathe new life into the district. We therefore intervened on the lot by opening up green spaces and patios and creating a real commercial square. The glazed façade of the new building on the square is marked vertically by reticular pillars that are grafted into large suspended terraces designed as informal outdoor workspaces but also as sunscreens. The grid pillars are designed to accommodate the growth of a lush wisteria, which is integrated as a design element across floors and terraces. In 2023 Varesina 204 won the Urbanfile award in the category of New Construction Office Architecture.
The goal of the project is to create a campus that is one of a kind and sustainable, serving as a reference point in the area where the former headquarters and production centre of the Swedish multinational Sandvik, world leader in the production of manufacturing tools, used to be. The area consists of two separate plots with several buildings that cover large expanse of land of about 30,000 sqm.
Based in Milan, the Giuseppe Tortato Architetti studio develops architecture and interior design projects offering a multidisciplinary and tailor-made approach for Italian and international clients, both corporate and private. Their approach to design stems from research into sensory experience and sustainability, considering the human being as the central element and brings nature into the designed spaces. With the realization of La Forgiatura, which was later joined by the Econocom headquarters in Milan, the firm came to national and international attention. Over the years the Studio has been involved in other important projects: Arcadia Center, the headquarters of Volkswagen Leasing and Volkswagen Bank, Il Refettorio in Venice, SIT headquarters in Padua, and via Varesina 204 in Milan, the Italian headquarters of Whirlpool. Today, the Studio is made up of a multidisciplinary team and carries out research and design work on a national and international level in several sectors.
