EXPO 2015 propose itself as a strong agent of change for the north-western Milanese area, giving a wonderful occasion for the transformation of the territory but, on the other hand, forcing to deal with various issues which characterise the area. Marco Biraghi and Silvia Micheli in “Storia dell’architettura italiana 1985-2015” already expressed potentialities and problems related to Expo 2015. The site, “in the black heart of the post-industrial Brianza”, according to them is one of the most industrialized, environmentally downgraded and polluted area of the Milan suburbs . This, from one side, represents a big problem of integration between the Universal Exposition planned for the year 2015, the site itself, the whole area and the society, but from the other it gives a big chance of change.
In this difficult territory a new channel, the Via d’Acqua, has been planned – but not realized yet. The new channel itself represents an environmental, architectural and social opportunity of change of a land which is now lacking of a common identity and of a common systemic project of development.
WATT – Waterways for a territory transformation aims to that. Starting from an analysis of the different layers that compose the territory, bound together by water as a unifying element, together with an analysis of the actors involved, the WATT project tries to give an answer to the needs of the territory and the society.
The multidisciplinary approach is here fundamental, given the manifold nature of the context in which the project has to be conceived. As Giancarlo de Carlo in 1969 said, “Architecture is too important to be left to architects”; different suggestions should come from every stakeholder and they should be integrated in a project which should not involve only architectural and urban planning experimentations but also social and technical skills. In a society that gets more complex every day, equally complex solutions coming from the integration of different fields are needed.
The project developed along the Via d’Acqua by the team takes into account and tries to integrate in a common outcome problems of green energy production, urban and landscape design, lack of common identity, dismantling of Expo pavilions, social involvement, using “water” as core element in order to re-establish the ancient connection which it had with the territory.
In the area along the new channel some focus points have been identified and analysed in order to define potentialities, unified in a programmatic framework and a masterplan of a new urban public area.
Principal Academic Tutor
Laura Daglio, Department of Architecture, Built environment and Construction engineering, Politecnico di Milano
Academic Tutor
Orio De Paoli, Department of Architecture and Design, Politecnico di Torino,
Giulia Gerosa, Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano
Carlo Ravagnati, Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Politecnico di Torino
External institutions
Centro Studi PIM
Patto per il Nord-Ovest
Supermilano
Team members
Sara Borchiero,Product Service System Design, Politecnico di Milano
Ivaylo Nachev, Architecture, Politecnico di Milano
Antri Pantelide, Urban Planning and Policy Design, Politecnico di Milano
Anna Pichetto Fratin, Architecture for restoration, Politecnico di Torino
Alberto Re, Product Service System Design, Politecnico di Milano
Davide Resnati, Electronic Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
Francesca Sorli, Architecture Buliding City, Politecnico di Torino