“Moneta” Residential Complex

By Caterina Testa - 1 September 2021

The north of Milan is a cluster of many small villages that down the years became overrun by their huge neighbor. Traces of these former hamlets remain in the names of the city quarters and in an urban fabric crowded around a square or ancient church. Of the large swathes of countryside that once separated these villages, only a few green pockets and parcels of farmland remain. The rest is now occupied by warehouses and factories or are uncared for residual spaces.

Moneta Milano, one of the largest social housing projects in Italy, was built not far from Affori, one of these former villages. Its location is typical of the outer reaches of Milan: to the northeast, the project borders the centuries-old park of a former patrician residence, Villa Litta; to the west, the railway line; and to the south, the small warehouses of a logistics business park running along the main road, Via Moneta. This was where Italy’s first ethical social housing fund has built 310 units and a co-living residence on an area of about 11,000 sq. m. The competition “Progetto 10.000”, called by its bank foundation and investment fund promoters, aimed to identify social housing design models and construction systems appropriate for Italy. The 2016 winning design by MAB Arquitectura and Beretta Associati has now become the Moneta Milano social housing complex.

The proposal for Progetto 10.000 by the practices answered to the client’s four critical issues: the idea of community as the basis for social housing schemes, research into optimal social housing typologies maximizing space and interior flexibility, the venture’s financial sustainability, and inclusion of innovative energy-saving environment-friendly technology. The final project included three versions of apartment buildings: the “Tower”, the “Line” and the “Corner”, suitable for different urban contexts.

The Moneta Milano program fits...