Property redevelopment
Reception
Type
Location
MIND – Milan innovation District
Year
2022
Client
Lendlaese
Head Designer
Arch. Marco Vigo, Ing. Giorgio Piliego
Prestazioni professionali
Concept, architectural project
Reception
The architectural project for the Reception building envisages a series of interventions aimed at repurposing it and making it compliant with regulations in order to transform this temporary building into a permanent one that will house the reception and entrance area for the North Village.
The building is located on the Decumanus axis, which will be transformed into a linear park, near the bus stop connecting it to the metro station.
The design focus is to anticipate and interpret the founding values of Mind, the design DNA for all future interventions which, starting from this first cell, will spread throughout the Start Up Village. The theme of the circular economy is emblematic and is specifically aimed at the recovery of the pre-existing structures and materials, but also the preservation and exploitation of the Expo identity.
The Reception building symbolically preserves the identity of the clusters of fruit and vegetables of the World Expo, through the partial use of their load-bearing structures and in terms of material. The base is partly made of wooden slats placed vertically on existing modular panels, giving a vibrant and sleek image and symbolising the recycling of a natural material widely used during the Expo. These panels are needed to protect a new 23cm external drywall made of glass wool insulation, which would enable the building to meet the current energy efficiency standards of the LEED Gold rating system.
Equally fundamental is the issue of the connection between the buildings and the surrounding open spaces on the ground floor. In this sense, the ground floor is envisaged as a meeting place, visually permeable with the large openings consisting of double-glazed windows, and fluidity of transit since it is connected to the Decumanus, its linear park and all the buildings in the Village. This permeability and attractiveness is also implemented by introducing the concept of space hybridisation, incorporating functions such as the front desk for information, the auditorium – which can be reconfigured into an exhibition and event space – and meeting areas and touch-down workstations.
While preserving the Expo identity, the reception is also an expression of the innovation and creativity that characterise Mind. This is symbolically translated on the vertical façade by the introduction of an experimental finish in ETFE, a highly plastic polymer that moulds new iconic forms that are sculptural and recognisable. .
