New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Project category

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted
Regaining a sense of belonging

Email user
pressoffice@citterio-viel.com

Basic information
Project title
Cascina Merlata masterplan

Full Project Title
Cascina Merlata masterplan

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.
ACPV ARCHITECTS’ masterplan for Cascina Merlata inspires pride for shared spaces through an innovative territorial transformation at one of Milan’s latest residential centers. Conceived with shared well-being in mind, Cascina Merlata comprises a mixture of spaces for housing and commerce, all connected by an immense green park. The masterplan offers affordable housing solutions within easy reach of healthy leisure activities and all essential services, such as shops, schools and transportation.

What was the geographical scope of your project?
Local

Where was your project implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Italy

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Milan, Italy
Google maps location: https://goo.gl/maps/Xm64zSKnQtGh3H2D6

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your project won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Is your project fully completed
Yes

Please indicate a date (mm/yy)
2021-12-31

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
  Type of organisation: For-profit company
  First name of representative: Press Office
  Last name of representative: ACPV ARCHITECTS
  Gender: Prefer not to say
  Nationality: Italy
  Function: Press Office
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Cerva, 4
  Town: Milan
  Postal code: 20122
  Country: Italy
  Direct Tel: +39 02 763 8801
  E-mail: pressoffice@acpvarchitects.com
  Website: http://www.acpvarchitects.com
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://instagram.com/acpv.architects
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): @acpv.architects
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1274257/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
In case my project is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my project in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
New European Bauhaus or European Commission websites

Description of the project
Please provide a summary of your project.
The Cascina Merlata masterplan represents a major territorial transformation that creates an innovative residential settlement located to the northwest of Milan. By offering affordable and environmentally sustainable housing and related functions, the project aims to inspire a sense of pride and shared well-being to create a new formula for the future of urban livability.

Conceived with residents’ needs in mind, the project embodies a new urban district that integrates a detailed mixture of spaces for social housing and commerce, all connected by an immense green park that runs through the center of the masterplan area.

“The goal here is to foster a sense of community and belonging while also innovating the way we design residential buildings. The masterplan and architectural guidelines for Cascina Merlata play a crucial role in ensuring that the new residents feel at home and have access to all the services they need.” – Antonio Citterio

Oriented towards the principles of social and environmental sustainability, the project favors energy-efficient building technologies in an area that offers diverse opportunities for cultural, sport and leisure activities.

The plan features multiple public spaces, parks, pedestrian and bike paths to promote a holistic approach that connects open air leisure activities, the use of a variety of transport alternatives to the car, and the psycho-physical well-being of residents.

“The new development advances the idea of regenerating Milan as a polycentric city. Cascina Merlata is a newly well-served area of the city where people can reach everything they need for their daily life within a 15-minute walk or ride.” – Patricia Viel

The recent completion of the two residential complexes and the ongoing construction and development of further residential complexes designed by ACPV ARCHITECTS contributes further to the polycentric and pedestrian-friendly growth of the city.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.
sense of community

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
urban livability

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
psycho-physical well-being

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
polycentric city

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
pedestrian-friendly growth

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
The Cascina Merlata district offers a new model of affordable urban living. It improves livability on the outskirts of Milan by offering social housing solutions within easy reach of all essential services, such as shops, schools and transportation.

The new residential buildings of Cascina Merlata have been designed to align with the highest standards of environmental and social sustainability. The new buildings have obtained a class A rating thanks to their energy-efficient design and low-energy impact.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
The design of the area and its shared public spaces encourages positive citizen behaviors.
Cascina Merlata offers multiple alternatives of pedestrian and soft mobility in order to minimize car use. The area's large open green spaces provide easy accessible opportunities for residents to appreciate the outdoors, and to engage in physical exercise such as running and cycling.
This way, the district becomes an ecosystem that fosters the shared well-being of both visitors and residents.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
The green shared spaces among the buildings are flexible shared spaces that respond to the multiple needs of the area's residents.
The dog parks and the large playgrounds not only offer people a place for spontaneous interaction and exchange, but they also ensure that all family models and lifestyles can find their place with their own sense of belonging.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project
The initiative of Cascina Merlata SpazioVivo is encouraging positive citizen behaviours by fostering residents' pride for living in the new residential settlement.
http://www.cascina-merlata.net/proud-to-live-here/

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was.
The area is of strategic importance for the polycentric and sustainable urban growth of the city of Milan, Italy.
https://www.comune.milano.it/aree-tematiche/rigenerazione-urbana-e-urbanistica/attuazione-pgt/cascina-merlata-pii

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was.
The project brings together a wide range of knowledge fields: urban design, architecture, landscape design and traffic engineering, among others.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries
The result is better opportunities for the people of Milan to access affordable and environmentally sustainable housing.

Please provide documents showing the results, outcomes and impacts of your project
Web link
Web link
Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project
The large green park located in the heart of the area offers a unique place for people to meet and engage in physical exercise.
Cascina Merlata improves livability within the urban fabric of Milan by offering essential services – such as shops, schools and transportation – within a walking distance of 15 minutes for residents.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.
The project has followed our design philosophy:

THE WHOLE THROUGH ALL ITS PARTS
Any environment is layered with visible and invisible traits that define its nature and its potential. Thanks to meticulous analysis, we plan different scales of intervention, from architectural to interior and urban design. Multi-disciplinary know-how helps us to ponder any detail of the project and to master it as a whole.

ALL-EMBRACING SUSTAINABILITY
Our job is to imagine new possible worlds and to make them real. We are responsible for shaping tomorrow’s landscape; we want to have a positive impact on people and their environment through sustainable choices made to last. We believe we can build a future where the most profound human questions and aspirations will be listened to, and a new balance will be found.

THE SPACE AS A LIVING ORGANISM
Context comes first. We study it, dissect it, and immerse ourselves in it until we’ve learned each feature and interaction, each undeniable and hidden request of urban life. In this way, we realize timeless projects that, like living organisms, can interact with people, evolve with their needs, and always exist in the present tense.

SHAPING THE PRESENT, LOOKING AT THE FUTURE
Each project triggers innovation. Each context pushes us to question and never follow the same path twice. Design can’t stay still: it’s eager for new perspectives. To us, to innovate means collaborating with institutions, researchers, and suppliers that integrate their knowledge with our skills. It means finding customized solutions for one-of-a-kind results.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.
The element of this project that can be easily transferred to other initiatives is the very essence of Cascina Merlata: It is the overarching vision for an urban area that focuses on the shared well-being of residents, following a polycentric and pedestrian-paced model of urban development.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions
The residential settlement addresses the global issue of population growth by providing affordable and sustainable local housing solutions to the citizens of Milan.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below
- _please mark sure to credit photographs to Giovanni Nardi.docx
By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the project and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary.
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their projects, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted project, is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes