Horti, Il Segreto di Porta Romana, Milano

Redevelopment of a building complex in a state of neglect located between Via Lamarmora and Via Orti in Milan, subject to the restrictions of cultural and architectural heritage, and implemented with the seismic upgrading of three historic constructions and with the erection of new buildings.

The "Villa", with a side deconsecrated church, is now used as multipurpose spaces for exhibitions and shows on a surface area of 15,000 sqm and in the basement for a wellness center and SPA.

Seismic improvement works were also carried out in the other two existing buildings "Lavanderia and Casello" to allow their uses for art gallery/offices/flats.

The need to create spaces underneath the buildings led to underpinning and consolidating the foundations, while the walls were strengthened with reinforced mortar and diatoms and with the insertion of new walls and steel sections.

The floors in steel members and vaults or in beams with wooden planks have been connected to new reinforced concrete slabs, while the barrel vaults have been reinforced with pilasters and extradosed countershells.

Steel decks were inserted into the wooden roofs of the church and of the “Villa” to house systems and to stiffen and support the vaults undergoing restoration.

The completely rebuilt "Lamarmora" building has two underground floors and six floors above ground; the floors are made in reinforced concrete either with solid plates and with void forms; the stiffening system is constuted by four stair/lift cores characterized by vertically non-aligned wall voids and solids.

The new "Orti" building was built with in sight reinforced concrete, wood and steel elements; inside the building there is a cellar with barrel vaults, found during the excavation phases.

The total floor area is approximately 36,000 sqm divided as follows:

existing buildings 15,750 sqm (Villa: 14,200 sqm)

new buildings 20,250 sqm (Via Lamarmora: 17,700 sqm)

THE PLAN

IL CORRIERE

URBANFILE