meta-Morphosis: An open building strategy for the conversion of the Ligresti's towers in Milan by MargheritaFBonanomi

PART IV Stephenson area

Among the eight different areas where the Ligresti's towers are located, the choice for the development of the meta-project fell on the Stephenson area. Located in the north-west of Milan, this part of the city is going to be a place of change, thank's to the transformation of the PGT 2030 and therefore this will be a place with new big possibilities.

8. The site: Stephenson area

The Stephenson area, defined as NIL 75 1 by the Municipality of Milan, is located in the north-west of Milan in a portion of territory currently closed in on itself by sections of roads such as the ring road, the Milan - Turin highway, the Lakes motorway and the Milan-Brescia highway . Wedged between highway and railways, it is precisely its position that makes the Stephenson area really interesting for Milan: the area is located along the strategic Sempione route, at the point where the access axes from north and west to the city converge, south of the Fiera di Milano, of the former Expo 2015 site, and north of the new Cascina Merlata district. The area appears today as an urban void, a degraded and abandoned area, but its strategic position makes it a real opportunity to rethink this entire portion of the territory.

75. Stephenson

[1] - Map of Milan with the localization of the Stephenson area, defined as NIL 75 by the Municipality of Milan. The NIL, Local Identity Units, represent areas that can be defined as neighborhoods of Milan. [2]- The territorial government plan (PGT) is an urban planning tool introduced in the Lombardy Region by the Lombardy regional law n. 12 of 11th March 2005. The PGT has replaced the general regulatory plan as an urban planning tool at the municipal level and aims to define the structure of the entire municipal area.

Its location and characteristics therefore make it an interesting area for the realization of a project that can cope with numerous current and future realities. With new developments is would be possibile, at least in part, to respond to the current needs of Milan and to the future ones identified in the "Piano di Governo del Territorio 2030"2. The new directives of the PGT 2030 have triggered a process such that the interest in this north-west part of the city has also extended to all the neighboring areas and therefore made it an area full of future interventions and transformations. Among the numerous redevelopment interventions there are: the new Circle Line, which will allow a greater connection of the area with the city itself, the intervention of Casina Merlata together with the number of redevelopment interventions of the surrounding areas and the new Mind Pole located in the ex Expo 2015 area, which will bring new demands and needs to the surrounding area.

opposite page: Urban patterns "Stephenson area", scale 1:30.000.

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The development of the site

Past: how the "neighborhood" was born [3]- George Stephenson (Wylam, 9 June 1781 - Chesterfield, 12 August 1848) was a British engineer, best known for having designed a famous and historically important steam locomotive called the Rocket, together with his son Robert, also an engineer in the civil field. [4]- The Greater Milan Cemetery, also known as the Musocco Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city, is located in the northwestern area, in the Garegnano district, which at the time of construction was part of the municipality of Musocco and was opened on 23 October 1895. [5]- The Vialba Sanatorium was inaugurated in 1931 and will subsequently be known as the Luigi Sacco hospital due to the hospital reform of 1968 which transformed it into a provincial general hospital in 1971. [6]- Vialba is a district of Milan located in the north-western area of the city, bordering the municipalities of Novate Milanese and Baranzate, bordered to the north by the A4 motorway and to the west by the urban penetration section of the A8 motorway. It constituted an autonomous municipality until 1841.

In Milan, wedged between railways and highways, there is an appendage of the city, consisting mainly of warehouses and warehouses, which still struggles to function, is the Stephenson area. From the name of the main street that constitutes it, it is dedicated to the English engineer George Stephenson3 believed to be the father of locomotives, who designed his first locomotive in 1814 (he invented a self-propelled engine for the transport of coal inside a mine). The area is precisely located between the areas of Musocco, Garegnano-Certosa, Cascina Merlata and Roserio. This area, conceived from its origins as a place of services, appeared for the first time in 1934 in the Albertini urban plan, previously adjacent to the area only the Maggiore Cemetery 4 and the Vialba Sanatorium5 were built. As we see in the map of 1930, the area, entirely occupied by agricultural land, had a purely rural character. Subsequently, after the war, with the expansion of the Greater Cemetery, which was extended to allow the construction of the Jewish Cemetery, the first industrial areas began to develop in the Stephenson area and numerous tenements were built in the Vialba area6. From 1950 to 1970 there is a significant increase in residential and industrial areas, many transport factories were built near the highway. One of the historical industries of the area is the "Smalterie Moneta" industry, which was founded in 1875 in Via Mambretti 9 and marked the development of the industrial apparatus in zone 20 along the railway axes. The warehouses covered the entire area between Via Mambretti and Via Stephenson, bordering on the railways to which they were connected for the transport of raw materials and manufactured goods. At the end of the 1980s we see a further decrease in agricultural areas and a slight increase in housing which led to the development of some public services in the area. In recent years we have built the first tower in the area, the 18-storey Allianz tower. Then the five Ligresti towers were built along Via Polonia and Via Privato Val Formazza, the classic “mirror cubes” placed in various places in the city. Over time, while the motorway connections remain almost unchanged, in the Vialba area it is possible to observe a gradual disappearance of industrial and agricultural areas, thus becoming a purely residential area with the presence of related public services.

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[7]- La Défense de Paris is a district made up of office skyscrapers, condominiums and shopping centers, which rises on part of the municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux (all in the department of Hauts-deSeine), west of Paris.

The area, on the other hand, remains disconnected from the surrounding areas, like a drop closed in on itself. The area was never planned by a council, except for the simple creation of a reserved area mainly as a place for warehouses and deposits. The neighborhood, built in the extreme suburbs, is surrounded by railways and highways. In 2008 we have the first appearance of one hotel in the area, it is the transformation of one of the 5 towers of Ligresti which took the name of the Hub Hotel. After some years we have the construction of the UCI Cinema pole, the multiplex cinema that brought movement to the desolate area. Then in 2011 the Barcelò Hotel was built, a tower of 100 meters height, which even today remains the highest in the area. This hotel was the first of a series of buildings that were planned to be built in the area of via Stephenson, to redevelop the urban area in a state of decay according to an urban plan of the municipality, to transform it into a financial district similar to the Parisian Defense.7 However, the scarce services in the area and the actual location of this isolated urban enclave have ruined any development plan. Following in 2012 we have the construction of the Klima Hotel, two towers of considerable height and one of the two planned 15-storey Sky-Building residential towers. In 2015, thanks to the future Expo area, there are numerous interventions on road improvement: _ the conditions of the existing road network are improved with numerous redevelopment of flower beds to increase greenery, _new sidewalks, cycle paths and three roundabouts are added, _ an open space is created for the construction of the ramp that will allow access to the 3 Archi bridge of Expo. Two accesses are also being created which will improve connections: _ the SIN, Strada Interquartiere Nord, will arrive from the east through a tunnel that will run under the Viale Certosa junction and will serve as a direct connection to the Quarto Oggiaro and Vialba neighborhoods, _to the west there are works for a tunnel for direct connection with the neighboring areas of Cascina Merlata and Roserio. It will also serve to more easily connect the district with Molino Dorino.

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The site: Stephenson area

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Present: nowadays situation [8]- Milano | Zona Stephenson – Il “nulla” urbano e le ambizioni di un quartiere, blogurbanlife.org, 2014.

The area today, always characterized by the main presence of industries, low industrial warehouses with flat roofs and abandoned areas, has not seen major changes. 8 Thanks to Expo, some improvement work has been carried out, something has also been built, new roads and cycle paths. Over time, some companies and even the Municipality have therefore tried to give new breath to this part of the city with various interventions but for now the rest of the district is still waiting to know its future. Which solution to redevelop a neighborhood built in the extreme suburbs and surrounded by highways and railways. In addition to the presence of majority industrial warehouses and empty or abandoned areas we have some residential buildings, 3 hotels, the Uci Cinema center, the Porsche dealership and some tertiary support services. This area also has a large surface intended for green use, important nowadays to purify the air from the smog created by the cars that pass on the adjacent streets. The area therefore presents the need for a redevelopment in order to transform it into a real neighborhood with the necessary neighborhood services attached. A real global project is necessary for the future life of the area. There is a need of change to develop a real unitary project.

Axonometry of the area with the main connection axes.

[image 01] opposite page: Aerial photo of the area nowadays.

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The Stephenson district is located in a strategic point that could act as a pivot between the new adjacent development areas and the city of Milan itself. In fact, the future reserves numerous redevelopment interventions nearby which could mean a promising future for the area.

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Future: (PGT) 2030 - 2050

[9]- PGT 2030 Milan, page 57.

The new directives of the PGT 2030 seem to bring good news for the area and for future change. "A dynamic territory, highly infrastructured and innervated by an economic fabric in transformation but still vital, which sees the presence of important areas in the process of reconversion." 9 The North West axis runs from the city center, starting from the Garibaldi-Repubblica area, and extends to Malpensa airport, Milan's gateway to the world. A hub of knowledge and innovation is being consolidated in the North-West. Within the borders of Milan, the PGT is planning three major transformations, where we can find the area for large urban functions of Bovisa-Goccia-Villapizzone, intended to host, in addition to teaching and service functions, a pole for research and innovation thanks to the Milan Polytechnic; MIND-post Expo which, through the presence of Human Technopole, University of Milan, IRCSS Galeazzi and other public and private functions, is a candidate to become a pole of knowledge and innovation. This is going to be located near the Stephenson area. Alongside the major transformations, further areas of urban regeneration are foreseen, Stephenson above all, which will add to the ongoing development of Cascina Merlata.

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Another fundamental point concerns the connections, in fact thanks to PGT 2030 Milan will see the addition of a new connection line: the Circle Line. The Circle Line project in the one that concerns the city railway belt and wants, with the creation of numerous new stations and dedicated services, to become one of the cornerstones of the urban public transport. This new line will allow the Stephenson area to get more connected to the city center and this could generate new transformations and interests towards this forgotten drop of the city. This line will add two new stops near the area: one called Stephenson and the other MIND. The first, will be barycentric with respect to the area around via Stephenson, the second, MIND, will be at the service of the University and Cascina Merlata and its construction will be paid for as part of the Mind project and must be ready by 2023.

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9. The five towers

The complex of five towers was built, as we already said, between the 80's and 90's by the company of Salvatore Ligresti in this part of the city that remained for a long time forgotten drop, closed on itself because it was not well connected to the city center. This site never started actually, in fact today only one of the 5 towers is in use, because in 2008 it was trasformed into an hotel, which took the name of the Hub Hotel. The area appears completely fenced and closed in on itself. In september 2018 the third tower was occupied by the activists and families of the social residence "Aldo dice 26x1" . Aldo Dice 26x1 is an experience of employment for residential purposes, born at the beginning of 2014. 1 In addition to having welcomed many families to whom the Municipality has not been able to give accommodation and offer a shelter to many homeless people in Milan, the Social Residence is a functioning place, far from the racket of illegal occupations and in search of legal recognition. Over the years, in fact, Aldo Dice has become a reference not only for families looking for a home, but also for the Social Services themselves, which have relied on them for new insertions of nuclei or individuals who could not find An accommodation.

[1] - ALDO DICE 26 X 1 was born thanks to Clochard Alla Riscossa Onlus and the Right to Casa Niguarda Committee, united with the union of the Milan Tenants Union. The collective counts 187 people - which rises to 200 considering the management collective - for a total of 62 families, 83 minors and several disabled people. Emergenza abitativa a Milano. www.thesubmarine.it

A photographic reportage was carried out in february 2020. See booklet: * Photographic survey

Today the situation has not changed much and the towers are always half empty and the signs of time begin to be seen also on the windows that cover the facade.

[image 02] opposite page: Aerial photo of the complex of five towers today.

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Map of the area with concrete pattern and flows.

The purely industrial area is characterized by the main presence of large cemented areas, such as the main roads that characterize it, the highways and the numerous open spaces of the adjacent factories.

We can see how the base of the towers is also characterized by the presence of a hard paved surface that allows vehicle access from both sides by the main roads. The flows inside the fenced area, both pedestrian and vehicular, are mixed, there is no clear distinction between the two paths and this generates confusion and insecurity.

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The 5 towers have access from two main streets: Via Cesare Musatti, where there is also the presence of a large parking lot in front, and Via Privata Val Formazza, a one-way street.

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(Im)permeability

Map of the area that highlights the impermeability of the complex and the accesses.

This clear division of space creates a micro-world within a macro-world, both closed and not communicating.

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The 5 towers are characterized by the presence of a high fence that runs along the entire area to which they belong, enveloping them but at the same time making the distinction between public and private land clear. This barrier creates a clear division and thus separates the common ground floor of the 5 towers and the green area that develops adjacent along via Cesare Musatti. This green then becomes only a visual filter and there is a clear straight separation that divides the two spaces.

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[image 03] Main driveway entrance on the north

[image 04] Sidewalk along the area

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The five towers

[image 05] Main driveway entrance on the south

[image 06] Grouding of the towers

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Axonometry of the complex South-East side of the buildings

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The façade

Drawing of the elements of the facade system. Opposite page: Axonometry of the actual facade of the towers with the different elements highlighted.

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The current facade that characterizes the towers is a curtain wall made up of glass mirrored and opaque panels that generate the same sequence on all the four facades. These panels have the same recurring measurement: 1 x 1.75m. The first floor is also covered with the same modular elements which are however further "decorated" with vertical metal frames. The ground floor and the second floor are instead outdoor spaces.

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The two top floors are also outdoor spaces and the opaque panels create the handrail that runs along all four sides of the tower. A characteristic element are also the pillars, covered with a metal sheet that highlights the groove and the strange shape of the towers.

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The Ligresti's towers are characterized by the some floor type with recurring measures. - Dimensions: 24.00 x 24.00 m - Floor: 622.00 m2 - Usable floor: 490.00 m2 - Core+bathroom: 90.00 m2 - Pillars : 1.00 x 0.55 m - Floor height: 3.13 m - Slab: 0.30 m

Vertical distribution The towers present a central distribution core with 3 elevetors, one closed staircase and an external emergency staircase of the south side of the building.

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The five towers

Vertical shafts The shafts of the towers are positioned around the core, where we find both the ventilation pipes and the water system. As for the drains, they are always positioned on the south side in correspondence with the two existing bathrooms.

Forced ventilation The towers have a forced ventilation system that develops around the core, moreover on all floors of the tower there is a false ceiling even on the outermost sides, away from the choir.

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[image 07] Ground floor of the 5th tower

[image 08] Second floor of the 5th tower

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The five towers

[image 09] First floor of the 5th tower

[image 10] Third floor of the 5th tower

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PART V The meta-project

The intention is to develop a practice made up of punctual elements, where the drivers, the risks and the criteria are considered to transform the sporadic conversion of offices into a strategy to be applied on a large scale. A common practice behaving as a guideline for the conversion of the Ligresti Towers into small and medium-sized housing with the help of advanced technologies and a defined process strategy.

10. Methodology

The conversion of vacant or abandoned tertiary assets into a residence is confirmed as a highly strategic opportunity for the contemporary city, wanting on the one hand to solve an emerging problem and at the same time respond to a housing demand that is not reflected in the current offer.

[1] - Bono M., Stefano Boeri e la Milano di domani, Troppi uffici sfitti, trasformiamoli in case, 8th November 2008. www.repubblica.it

Starting from this, this could really be a new road to Milan, a city now saturated with new buildings, which has a high heritage of abandoned buildings, more than 180, and with a high housing demand, above all social. " (...) transforming vacant offices into small and medium-sized housing, with the help of advanced technologies that make it possible to do so effectively and the tradition of interior architecture that has magnificent roots in Milan, the capital of design ". 1 This way had already been suggested by Stefano Boeri, architect, urban planner and architectural theorist, back in 2008. We must react and transform our city into something better and sustainable, we must find new ways and new solutions for its future. Starting from this point the meta-project wants to act ad a replicable process that could be applied to all the areas of Milan where the Ligresti's towers are located. This strategy was based on defined key points that are based on the use of a modular system with the use of advanced technologies for the process, such as the prefabrication system. This in order to minimize the on-site work and to fasten the process of transformation of these buildings. We identified a process that tries to transform the building into new homes but at some time also to solve the weaknesses of the exiting situation.

Opposite page: Collage that show the concept of the process. Reference Le Corbusier, Unite d´habitation.

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Modular off site construction

[1]- Bertram N., Mischkle J., Palter R., Modular construction: From projects to products, McKinsey & Company, 2019.

Modular methods are closed systems in which elements are prefabricated independently for a specific building. This elements are constructed off-site, under controlled plant conditions, using the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities, but in about half the time. Buildings are produced in “modules” that then are putted together on site. "Terms such as offsite construction, prefabrication, and modular construction are used interchangeably and cover a range of different approaches and systems". 1 So this modular system goes togheter with the prefabrication, that is a method of producing components offsite in a factory and then, as we said, assembling them onsite.

- can speed construction by as much as -

The strength of these constructions lies in having all the elements and resources necessary for the construction of the modules in one place. This would not happen in a classic construction site where workers and suppliers alternate according to the progress of the work.

- can cut the costs by -

This building process has several advantages which can be summed up as greener, faster and smarter.

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During a normal construction site it is estimated that up to eight thousand kilos of waste can be generated while recycling is becoming an increasingly widespread practice in the construction of modular houses where the reuse of residual material from other projects is frequent. Consider, for example, the use of wood: the pieces are often pre-cut ready to be assembled and the wood residues can be ground and recycled for further purposes.

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The modular construction, in addition to the considerable environmental advantages, therefore, thanks to the detached construction, also offers the possibility of substantial energy and time savings; an element, the latter, not to be underestimated because it further reduces the impact of the building on the environment. In fact, with modular buildings, where the construction of the house takes place in a factory, all those delays due to exogenous phenomena are eliminated, see the adverse climatic conditions

Methodology

They are also more sustainable than a conventional construction. In the latter, for example, access is limited around electrical sockets, fixtures, pipes and all other sources of air infiltration. The work in the factory allows to operate at best in the insulation procedure, so that air infiltrations can be reduced to the limit to prevent heat loss.

[2]- ibidem.

We have so an increase of the safety and quality of construction while reducing the time, cost, material waste and the impact on the environment. Recent modular projects have already established a solid track record of accelerating project timelines by 20–50 %.2 We have different types of modular products: - 2D elements, with more assembly onsite - 3D volumetric units, which are more fully fitted-out offsite - 2D & 3D hybrid, that is a combining the best of both worlds In the case of the Ligresti towers, it was decided to use the third strategy: a combination of 2D elements and 3D elements. As an intervention on an existing building with certain characteristics, it was better to mix the use of these strategies. For the internal part, a 3D unit was designed, down to the smallest detail, we called this element service pod. In this element, we inserted all the systems necessary for bathrooms and kitchens and at the same time, it contains all the elements of fixed forniture necessary for an apartment: wardrobes, living room furniture, kitchen storage elements, niche bed. For the facade, a modular cladding system was designed. We used the concept of the module to generate a standard measure that could fit the entire facade system: 77 cm.

Scheme with the main point of the off-site construction process. 1. Each module is fabricated off-site, completed with it's elements. Finishing works, which include painting and flooring, are done prior to transport. 2. Large load-bearing trucks are used to transport the finished three dimensional modules to the site construction. strandard track measure l: 16.50 (max) h: 4.00 m (max) h: 2.55 m (max) 3. Onsite assemblage of the modules and house finishings inside the existing towers.

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new internal distribution + new perimeter

distribution system with direct lightening

installation strategy + service pods

plan and elevation based on a modular system

modular envelope: protection against sun, wind and noise pollution

different units and layout

Methodology

Key point of the strategy

1. The first point is the restoration of a new internal distribution

layout by modifying the existing arrangement, only two lift are needed and so the third one is converted in shaft. A new definition is given to the perimeter, this action rectifies the external lines of the exiting towers and helps for the external insultaion strategy of the facade.

opposite page: Schemes of the six key points at the base for the intervention on the typical floor plan of the towers.

The second point concerns the direct lighteining system. On each floor a part of the plan is used as a common space, this strategy helps also to bring direct light to the internal distribution layout without having a closed and narrow space. This space is also used as a common room with different functions on each floor.

3. The third point concerns the definition of the new allocation for the installation system. This points are located behind the central pillars of the towers. These points are also the allocation of the prefabricated service pods (kitchen, bathroom, wardrobes ...). These lines will also be the separation limits of the different units.

4. The fourth point concerns the modular system that is used for

the composition of the plan and of the facade. The whole system is based on a unique module of 77 cm. The façade is therefore characterized by prefabricated modules of a well-defined size: windows, shading panels, opaque panels and also the size of the loggias.

5. Based on the modular strategy the fith point is the envelope that

is characterized by perforated metal panels. This modular elements can be folded and act like a protection system that helps for the summer days as a shading element and for the noise pollution given by the highways that are really close.

6. The last point concerns the division of the single apartments

units. The purpose is to create different unit types that can therefore satisfy the request of different types of users. Furthermore, this interchangeability of the units produces a dynamism that is recognizable also on the outside, on the façade system.

meta-Morphosis 281

7 3

Methodology

Materials

The material board shows the chosen internal and external materials that are applied to the meta-project. Our intention was to use a defined selection of materials to give a strong character to the external and also internal space. For the external facade, we choose three main materials: cement, metal, and pine wood. The cement was chosen for the grounding, to give its entity and definition. For the upper part instead, we choose a metal cladding that is directly related to the industrial character of the area. The wood was used to have a contrast between the metal and the frame of the windows that is more related to the interior space. For the internal space we choose three main materials: birch plywood and cheramic tiles, main material of the service pods and a grey resin floor for both the internal and external floor.

opposite page: Material board of the project 1. White metal sheet: perforated metal sheet used for the facade cladding system. 2. Cement: used for the cladding system of the grounding. 3. Birch plywood: external finishing layer of the service pods, can be lacquered in any color. 4. Green cheramic tiles 20 x 6 cm: floors and coverings of the bathroom and anteroom of the service pods. 5. Grey resin floor: external & internal finishing for the floor. 6. Pine wood: wood essence used for the windows. 7. SAF-RAL 140-M: colour finisching for the PVC windows of the grounding floors.

All the materials used for the pods try to make the intervention chromatically uniform but they can still be customized by the tenants themselves in color. The resin floor is used to guarantee a single surface for both the interior and exterior space of the loggias.

meta-Morphosis 283

Methodology

Service pods

On construction projects, many elements are repetitive, this is the case for kitchens and bathrooms, especially in a residential project. The strategy for the riconverion of the towers is to use this elements to construct different pods that can contain all the foundamental elements of an apartement.

[1] - Modular Building Institute Staff, Saving time with modular bathroom pods, 2017

By using this pods we defined a strtegy for the installation and the for the building drains. The first one can be conncetd after that the pods atre placed in the right position. The second one have a well defined position, the some on each floor, and this reduces the intervention on each floor, also thie element is connected when the pod are positioned on the floor. The offsite construction method allows the pod manufacturer the ability to research and implement aesthetic and functional innovations to better improve the quality of each element. Using prefabricated pods lowers construction costs by reducing construction time, improving quality, and eliminating the defects list. This requires a high degree of supervision and management on site to ensure correct sequencing and quality of work from plumbers, electricians, tilers, floor layers, sealant applicators, decorators, glaziers, carpenters, and other specialists.

In red we have the position for the building drain system. This position is defined by the pillars, they also define the position for the pods.

We developed an abacus of 6 different pods that placed in the space, in defined position established by the exiting pillars, act like a division between units and guarantee their functionality as bathroom, kitchen, wardrobe, living room furniture.

opposite page: Axonometry of the service pod C with materials.

meta-Morphosis 285

Service pod type A living room forniture + wardrobe D'

C' B'

1 ,5 5

0 ,6 7

0 ,2 0

0 , 67

0,11

2,20

1,27

0,11

2,40

0,11

6,30

A' D

0,18 0,12

2,70

stuff

toys

books

0,15

Section A-A' | 1:50

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

0,15

0,30

Section B-B' | 1:50

0,30

0,19

0,19 0,11

0,11

2,70

Section C-C' | 1:50

286 meta-Morphosis

0,15

0,30

Section D-D' | 1:50

Methodology

Service pod type B

1 ,6 0

2 ,4 0

0 ,2 0

0 ,6 0

living room forniture + wardrobe + bathroom + bed

0,11

2,20

0,13

1,25

0,11

2,40

0,11

6,35

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

0,15

0,30

Section A-A' | 1 :50

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

soap

0,12 0,03 0,30

Section C-C' | 1 :50

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

0,15

0,30

1 2m

Section B -B ' | 1 :50

meta-Morphosis 287

Service pod type C kitchen + bathroom + wardrobe C' B'

1,60

2,40

0,20

0,60

0,12

1,39

2,20

0,13

2,27

0,11

6,20

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

0,15 0,30

Section A-A' | 1:50

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

0,15 0,30

Section B-B' | 1:50

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

1A 0,15 0,30

Section C-C' | 1:50

288 meta-Morphosis

Methodology

Service pod type D bathroom + wardrobe + library + kitchen

C' B'

0,67

1,55

0,20

0,67

2,45

1,25

0,11

2,42

0,11

6,34

A' D

0,30 0,28 0,02

2,70

0,15 0,30

Section A-A' | 1 :50

0,30 0,28 0,02

2,70

0,15 0,30

Section B-B' | 1 :50

0,30

0,19

0,19 0,11

2,70

0,15

0,12 0,03

0,30

1 Section C-C' | 1 :50

Section D-D' | 1 :50

meta-Morphosis 289

Service pod type D wardrobe + bathroom C'

1 ,3 5

0 ,2 0

0 ,6 5

0 ,1 0

2 ,3 0

0,11

2,20

0,11

1,27

0,11

3,80

A' D

0,30 0,28 0,02

2,70

0,15

0,30

Section A-A' | 1:50

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

soap

0,15 0,30

Section B-B' | 1:50

0,30

0,19

0,11

2,70

0,15

0,12 0,03

0,30

1 2m

290 meta-Morphosis

Section C-C' | 1:50

Section D-D' | 1:50

Methodology

Service pod type E living room forniture + bathroom

0,65

0,10

2,30

1,34

0,21

B 0,11

2,20

0,11

1,27

0,11

3,80

A' D

0,30 0,28 0,02

2,70

0,30

Section A-A' | 1 :50

0,30 0,19 0,11

2,70

soap

0,15 0,30

Section B-B' | 1 :50

0,30

0,19

0,19 0,11

0,11

Section C-C' | 1 :50

2,70

0,12

0,03 0,30

Section D-D' | 1 :50

meta-Morphosis 291

Methodology

Facade cladding system

The façade is composed by a modular system based on a defined measure: 77 cm. The cladding envelope that was used in composed by fixed panels and sliding panels, both in white metal. This system was adopted to solve two main problems: the noise pollution coming from the highways and streets that are really close and the summer sun light. This folding and sliding pannels allowas to protect the living units. This system allows also a quick and easy installation process because the modules are made off-site and then brought to the site for hanging.

Modular design based on the measure: 77 cm.

This modular system is composed of different panels that have their definition and characteristics. - A group : metal cladding modules - B group : metal perforated cladding modules - C group : cement cladding modules

Folding system of the perforated metal pannels.

noise pollution

summer sun light

opposite page: Axonometry of one tower with the modular facade system.

meta-Morphosis 293

2 .8 5

Crowning part: A_ a3 metal panels with handrail

0 .7

6 .1

3 .8

1 .5

5 .6 0

Crowning part: B_b4 perforeted metal panels with handrail + a4 corner closing element

0 .2

6 0 .7

7 1 .5

4 2 .3

1 3 .8

0 .7 5

Central part: A_a1 bands with hadrail+ a2 bands

1 .5

4 0 .7

7 6 .1

3 .8

7 .7

294 meta-Morphosis

Methodology

Central part: B_b3 sliding perforated metal panels

7 1 .5

0 .7

2 .7 0

0 .7

3 .7 0

Central part: B_b1 fixed perforated metal panels + b2 fixed perforated metal panels with handrail + a4 corner closing element

0 .2

6 0 .7

7 1 .5

2 .3

3 .8

Element C | concrete panels

1 .5

meta-Morphosis 295

Metaeric detail of the facade.

296 meta-Morphosis

22.14

0.15 0.45

0.30

2.70

18.70

0.45

3.00

15.26

0.74

2.70

11.80

1m 0.5 m

0.74

Detail of the facade system.

meta-Morphosis 297

298 meta-Morphosis

Methodology

Transformation process

Once all the off-site prefabricated modules have been produces, (façade system and service pods) they are transported to the project area. The developed strategy is based on a well-defined sequence of actions to be carried out directly on the site. This process was developed in order to guarantee a fluid, fast and reapplicable process in all the different areas of the Ligresti towers. Below are the explanation of the 12 key points for the realization of the meta-morphosis of the towers.

1. The first step is the removal of the continuous existing curtain wall that covers all the four facades of the towers.

Now that there is a concrete framed structure without the existing curtain wall system. The second point is the demolition of the emergency staircase located on the south side of the building.

3. The third step is the change of the internal layout of the core. The bathrooms are eliminated, 2 of the 3 existing elevators are reused and the third is used as a technical space and to transform the internal staircase into a smoke-proof staircase.

Stratigraphy of the insulation layer _25 cm: - double sheet of plasterboard 2.5 cm - load-bearing frame in larch filled with rock wool insulation 20 cm - plaster fiber plate with white plaster finish 2.5 cm

4. When the internal layout is fixed, there is the need to add a new isolation layer against the existing core structure.

5. At this point we have the addition of a new portion of missing slab on the fire staircase side. A new steel structure is added to the existing concrete slab.

6. Now the floor is ready for the insertion of prefabricated service

pods through the use of a crane loading platform installed into the concrete framed structure. The pod then is positioned onto special rollers in order to be rolled into its final position. When the pod is in its final position, the rollers are released using of standard hydraulic jacks.

Layer of the new part of slab: steel beams + corrugated metal sheet

meta-Morphosis 299

300 meta-Morphosis

Methodology

7. When all the pods have been installed they are ready to be connected to the building services: to the water disposal, to the electricity systems and to the air circulation system.

8. Then we have the hooking of prefabricated façades modules to the concrete frame structure. The first modules that are mounted are the opaque modules, thank’s to the hanging system.

9. After it’s the turn of the prefabricated band modules . 10. When all the façades modules are assembled, the internal infill walls can be mounted.

11. At this point we have the assembly of the windows and after

the screen system, consisting in perforated metal sliding panels (b3).

Stratigraphy of the opaque modules _35 cm: - fermacell board 1.5 cm - central layer of 26 cm consisting in loadbearing frame in larch filled with rock wool insulation 26 cm, - fermacell board 1.5 cm - vapor sheath - metal cladding system 6 cm with closing perforated metal panel

Widows: - sliding pine wood windows - pine casement wood windows

12.

The final steps are: - the floor system: screed 6.5 cm, waterproof case, soundproofing layer 1 cm, underfloor heating system 6.5 cm and resin floor layer 1.2 cm - the internal partition walls in plasterboard - the countertop layer in plasterboard

Stratigraphy of the band modules _35 cm: - fermacell board 1.5 cm - central layer of 26 cm consisting in loadbearing frame in larch filled with rock wool insulation 26 cm - fermacell board 1.5 cm - vapor sheath - metal cladding system 6 cm with closing metal panel

Stratigraphy of the infill walls _30 cm: - wood pannel 2 cm - load-bearing frame in larch filled with rock wool insulation 16 cm - wood closing panel 2 cm - plaster fiber sheet - plasterboard layer 2.5 cm.

meta-Morphosis 301

Floor plan A 0

3m 1m

25.00

0.26

3.85

1.54

3.85

0.26

2.22

5.68 m2

5.46

2.80

1.54

5.68 m2

2.31

1.54

1.38

1.40

0.26

5.68 m2

2.22

1.54

3.87

6.35

1.54

3.76

1.54

0.77

5.30

0.77 0.77

2.54

1.54

3.76

1.54

2.31

0.77

1.54

4.50 m2

3.11

1.54

6.34

typ A 3.08

5.77

1.54

2.97

25.00

1.54

7.20 m2

typ C

3.08

typ C

1.54

2.43

3.04

1.54

2.31

1.54

7.90

1.54

typ B

1.54

2.31

4.93

3.68

3.20

1.54

3.68

1.38

2.22

2.31

4.63

5.68 m2

8.60 m2

0.26

3.85

1.54

6.16

1.54

3.85

0.26

25.00

> Apartment type A Studio apartment Square footage: ca. 50 m2 Loggia: 6.4 m2

302 meta-Morphosis

> Apartment type B Three-room apartment Square footage: ca. 67 m2 Loggia: 6.4 m2

> Apartment type C Four-room apartment Square footage: ca. 120 m2 Loggia: ca. 11.5 m2

_Distrubution area: ca. 35 m2 _Common loundry: ca. 7 m2 _Common area: ca. 18 m2 _Common loggia: ca. 8.6 m2

Floor plan B 0

3m 1m

25.00

0.26

3.85

1.54

3.08

0.77

1.54

2.31

0.26

1.54

1.38

1.41

0.26

5.68 m2

4.50 m2

3.85

2.80

2.54

5.46

2.31

2.85

5.68 m2

3.23

3.85

0.77

1.38

3.87

7.90

3.76

2.22

3.76

5.46

2.80

1.54

6.34

2.22

3.08

3.87

1.54

2.54

3.76

1.54

typ C 1.54

5.68 m2

4.50 m2

6.35

1.40

3.11

1.54

6.34

7.20 m2

1.54

3.85

typ A

3.08

2.22

5.34

5.77

2.97

25.00

typ C

1.38

3.85

2.43

1.54

7.90

5.68 m2

3.86

1.54

3.34

typ B 2.31

4.93

3.85

typ B

1.38

3.05

2.22

3.20

3.76

3.85

4.63

3.76

8.60 m2

0.26

2.31

1.54

2.31

6.16

2.31

1.54

2.31

1.54

0.26

25.00

> Apartment type A Studio apartment Square footage: ca. 50 m2 Loggia: 6.4 m2

> Apartment type B Three-room apartment Square footage: ca. 67 m2 Loggia: 6.4 m2

> Apartment type C Four-room apartment Square footage: ca. 120 m2 Loggia: ca. 11.5 m2

_Distrubution area: ca. 35 m2 _Common loundry: ca. 7 m2 _Common area: ca. 18 m2 _Common loggia: ca. 8.6 m2

meta-Morphosis 303

Floor plan C 0

3m 1m

25.00

0.26

2.31

1.54

0.77

3.08

1.54

3.85

0.26

1.41

3.76

0.26

2.22

7.90

3.85

2.31

5.68 m2

4.50 m2

1.54

1.38

2.54 4.20

2.80

5.68 m2

1.54

2.85

3.23 6.34

5.46

3.85

0.77

3.87

1.54

0.77 0.77

1.54

typ C

4.50 m2

5.68 m2 6.35

6.34

1.54

1.40

2.31

3.11

3.08

7.20 m2

typ C

5.77

5.34

25.00

typ A

3.08

3.85

2.22

2.97

1.38

2.43 7.90

1.54

5.68 m2

3.34

5.68 m2

typ B

3.86

4.93

3.85

typ B

1.38

3.05

2.22

3.20

4.63

3.76

3.85

3.76

3.85

0.26

2.31

1.54

2.31

1.54

6.16

2.31

1.54

2.31

0.26

25.00

> Apartment type A Studio apartment Square footage: ca. 50 m2 Loggia: 6.4 m2

304 meta-Morphosis

> Apartment type B Three-room apartment Square footage: ca. 67 m2 Loggia: 6.4 m2

> Apartment type C Four-room apartment Square footage: ca. 120 m2 Loggia: ca. 11.5 m2

_Distrubution area: ca. 35 m2 _Common loundry: ca. 7 m2 _Common area: ca. 18 m2

Internal views of the aprtments

living room three -room apartment

meta-Morphosis 305

kitchen + loggia four-room apartment

306 meta-Morphosis

kitchen and living room four -room apartment

meta-Morphosis 307

Young couples

Young workers

Ederly

Workers under 35

Students

Affordable Housing demand

Families

“Abandoned Milan: about 180 private buildings”

Disused assets

glass boxs

trasformation

Components

Inhabitants Services

Community

Job opportunities Activities

Interaction Living

Urban regenaration of the neighborhood

NEW URBAN BODY sensitive and vital knots of the city

12. New urban body

A new urban body is "a sensitive and vital place that becomes part of the city, because it's inhabited by aware, receptive and interacting communities. It can become an engine for the initiation of processes of urban generation and construction of new social interactions." 1 Starting from this concept, that derives from the exhibition NUB, that started in Turin, the intention of the meta-project based on a large scale action, for the reuse of this abandoned areas, is based on some key points that are really important for the development of the buildings and for the revitalization of the neighborhood where they belong:

[1] - from www.newurbanbody.it NUB NEW URBAN BODY , experiences of urban generation NUB arises from the Lacittàintorno threeyear urban regeneration program which is promoted by the Cariplo Foundation with a total investment of 10 million euros and is aimed at promoting well-being and quality of life in cities, particularly in peripheral areas.

- Place inhabited by different users - Used at almost all hours of a day - Animated by a wide range of activities - Promoted and managed by various actors, public and private, local organizations and citizens themselves - Accessible with different modalities or offers - Available on different time scales: hours, days, months, years - Place dedicated to economic, social and environmental sustainability This new urban bodies are multifunctional urban organisms which, as autonomous parts of a single body, are able to respond in a flexible and adaptive way to the needs of everyone.

Opposite page: Scheme of the mental process used from the beginning of the meta-project.

meta-Morphosis 309

The concept of living is rapidly evolving, the attitude of living time, space and property in a fluid and strategic way, in tune with daily commitments, is becoming more and more popular. These new ways of living, working, meeting and using services are reflected in an evolution of the city This idea should be the driving force for the conversion of these forgotten parts of the city that are located in a strategic point of the city that in the future will host important requalification projects, as we saw from PGT 2020-2030. The new urban bodies respond to the new needs of the city representing an important opportunity for urban development and for the future of the most periferic areas, where most of the time we don't have all the functions realated to: living togheter with working mixed with the use of services and different functions.

Roof

common foot top terrace

13 12 11 10 9 8 7

housing ( - Neighborhood > MIND (students, professors) CASCINA MERALATA, MUSOCCO

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

310 meta-Morphosis

Grounding

services For inhabitants and for the future neighborhood

New urban body

Possibile services and functions

To generate a new urban body, that should be a sensitive end vital note of the city, the components, and so the services and functions present, are really important.

[2] - from www.newurbanbody.it

To define which services and functions are needed we analyzed the different case studies presented by the exhibition NUB. 2 From all the case studied we selected the most significant, the ones that are more related to our case. Then we cataloged all the functions present in each project and look at the most recurring once, to generate a list of possible services. Starting from this list and analyzing the Stephenson area, the functions, the spaces, and the future transformation, defining potentialities and the weaknesses, we choose the most suitable services for the project and developed a strategy to be used as a guideline for the 7 different locations of the Ligresti towers. List of projects

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Centrum Odorf, Innsbruck, 2006 Vrijburcht, Amsterdam, 2007 Bike City /Time2Live, Wien 2008 Borgo Sostenibile, Milan, 2009 Sugar HillChildren museum, New York, 2014 Kalkbreite, ZurichMehr als Wohnen , Zurich, 2015 EMS Centre Intergenerationnel, Geneva, 2015 The Collective Olf Oak, London, 2016 opposite page: Section scheme that shows the subdivision of the tower: pubblic and private.

meta-Morphosis 311

Services

Case studies

Administrative Office Art Gallery Atelier for Artists B&b

Centrum Odorf_Innsbruck, 2006

Bar Bike Shop Bike Storage Cafeteria

Vrijburcht_ Amsterdam, 2007

Children’s Game Room Cineforum Commercial Spaces Common Kitchen

Bike City / Time2Live_ Wien, 2008

Common Terrace Community Household Conference Center Coworking Spaces Day care Center

Borgo Sostenibile_ Milan, 2009

Exibition Space Fitness room Green House Gymnasium Joinery

Sugar Hill Children Museum_ New York, 2014

Kindergarten Laundry Library Marketplace Music Room

Kalkbreite_ Zurich, 2014

Pharmacy Polifunctional Space Preschool Restaurant Roof Garden

Mehr als Wohnen_Zurich, 2015

Seasonal Market Solarium Spa / Relax areas Streets Market Student’s Common Room

EMS Centre Intergénérationnel Geneva, 2015

Study Room Theater Tooling Room Urban Gardens Venue for Events Workshop

312 meta-Morphosis

The Collective Old Oak_ London, 2016

New urban body

Ranking Kindergarten Cafeteria Children’s Game Room Commercial Spaces Fitness room Restaurant Bar Polifunctional Space Spa / Relax areas Working Rooms Bike Storage Cineforum Common Terrace Coworking Spaces Library Music Room Student’s Common Room Study Room Administrative Office Art Gallery Atelier for Artists Bike Shop Common Kitchen Day care Center Laundry Marketplace Preschool Venue for Events Workshop B&b Community Household Conference Center Exibition Space Green House Gymnasium Joinery Pharmacy Roof Garden Seasonal Market Solarium Streets Market Theater Tooling Room

meta-Morphosis 313

Main axes

# !" %&' !$

Borders

# !" %&' !$

Definition of the volumes

Macro areas

!"#$%&'(#")*

# !" %&' !$

!"#$#

(')*+,$"-.

314 meta-Morphosis

New urban body

Masterplan key points

As we analyzed before all the 7 areas present quite some situation:

Macro areas that characterize the masterplan

- Fenced area, closed in itself - Industrial district - Presence of highways and streets with a lot of noise pollution - District with not well-defined axes - Closed grounding, which acts as a barrier The strategy developed for the masterplan concerns 4 main points that try to solve the main problems: 1. Main axes: definition of the main axes of the building 2. Definition of the volumes: five back its identity to the towers and demolition of the grounding when it acts as a barrier 3. Borders: definition on the borders of the project - openness towards the center of the district - closeness towards the main streets/highways or train tracks 4. Marco areas: definition of macro-areas inside the plot - Perma forest > increase the presence of the green that acts as a division between the main streets and also helps to improve the air and sound pollution - Green path > creation, through the main axes of some green path that pass through the Perma forest - Plaza > definition of the main attraction point of the plot - Playground > definition of some part dedicated to the game activities

opposite page: Diagrams with the key points for the masterplan strategy

meta-Morphosis 315

Meta-project Ground floor

30 m 10

Meta-project Axonometry with functions of the ground floor

318 meta-Morphosis

meta-Morphosis 319

Meta-project Axonometry with functions of the first floor

320 meta-Morphosis

meta-Morphosis 321

Meta-project Axonometry with functions of the second floor

322 meta-Morphosis

meta-Morphosis 323

Meta-project North-West side of the buildings

view of the outdoor space south side

326 meta-Morphosis

view of the outdoor space north side

meta-Morphosis 327

New urban body

Conclusion

The fact that these towers are still unhappily present in the Milan area is a symptom of poorly planned management of the territory. Many buildings are thus left to themselves that could be redeveloped for purposes that are certainly more useful than those in which they still present themselves today. Many redevelopment programs are present in the Milan 2030 PGT, giving hope that the peri-urban areas of the city will be subject to rethinking by the municipal administrations, laying the foundations for an organized planning in the direction of the most fragile parts of the city itself. The new infrastructure planned for this plan is aimed at connecting different areas of the city so far left on the margins, trying to improve the connection of the suburbs to the city center, thus re-evaluating the functional destination of those areas with respect to future plans. Since the towers are located in areas where the cost of the land is not very high, but still easily accessible thanks to the public transport network planned with the new PGT 2030, these buildings could be made financially accessible to people who arrive in Milan and cannot afford city center prices. During the pandemic many people have changed their habits, our homes have turned into workplaces, rather than emptied offices, undermining an entire system where the home becomes the fulcrum of everyday life, for a society. that changes their habits compared to a short time before. The seriality with which these towers were previously designed suggests an approach where a strategy applicable to a single can be replicated in multiple similar cases, giving however the possibility of creating a certain type of typological mixity as regards the final result. The definition of the internal environments is thus defined by the positioning of different prefabricated units containing the service nuclei inside them, acting at the same time as a division between the different housing units. Since these nuclei are adjacent to the facade, it too is the subject of a new modular redesign in relation to the structural grid that the building designed for offices presents.

[image 11] opposite page: Photo of one of the five towers of Stephenson area.

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Prefabricated design could be a useful tool to reduce considerable construction costs, as it can be reproduced in series, while giving a certain compositional freedom to the definition of interior spaces, intended as a combination of solids and voids, where the solids are the prefabricated units, and the voids the spaces generated by the latter. The common base, recurrent in all cases where these towers are present in the various points of the city, connects the public space with the private one of the residences and presents itself as an opportunity for targeted and non-replicable design, unlike what concerns for the typical plan of the towers. For this reason it was conceived as a catalyst for the main services that the entire neighborhood will benefit from in the future. Going therefore to act on the morphology that this volume has in relation to the external space and on the boundary line between the private ownership of the towers and the spaces available to the inhabitants of the neighborhood, some strategies have been established that can serve as a guideline for the intervention. of transformation. The project does not want to present itself as a finished statement of what the Ligresti Towers can be in the near future, rather it arises as an applicable strategy to cbuilt different architectural solutions in a panorama of identical abandoned buildings, thus giving a new possibility and a new design to these empty concrete parallelepipeds.

[image 12] opposite page: Photo of the panorama from the rooftop of one of the towers of the Stephenson area.

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Bibliography and sources

PART I - The office Bibliography a+t, Workforce. A better place to work, independent magazine of architecture + technology, issue 43, spring 2014. Andreola F., Biraghi M., Lo Ricco G., Milan architectural guide 1945 - 2015, Hoepli, Milano,2015. Bordogna E., La Torre Velasca dei BBPR a Milano, simbolo e monumento dell'architettura italiana del dopoguerra, Clean, 2017. Capitanucci M. V., Il professionismo colto nel dopoguerra, Solferino Edizioni, 2015. Casabella, continuità, XXIII 1959 Ottobre, issue 232. Coppa A., Tenconi L., Grattanuvole: un secolo di grattacieli a Milano, Maggiolini, 2015. Crippa M., Zanzottera F., Milano si alza : torri, campanili e grattacieli in città, Istituto Gaetano Pini, 2004. Dragoni G., Ligresti story. La famiglia prima di tutto, Chiarelettere editore srl, 2013. Forino I., Uffici: interni arredi oggetti, Enaudi, Torino, 2011. Fernandez A., Mozas J., Caruso St John Architects , The Office on the Grass, The evolution of the workplace, 2017. Irace F., Ferrari F., High-rise Milan, Itineraries through Milan’s architecture. Lepore M., Evoluzione dello spazio ufficio, Aracne editrice, 2004. Nicolin P., Notizie sullo stato dell'architettura in Italia, Bollti Boringhieri, Tornino, 1994. Pagani C., Architettura italiana oggi, Hoepli, Milano, 1955. Pevsner N., A history of the building types, Princeton, 1976. Stefanoni F., Le mani su Milano. Gli oligarchi del cemento da Ligresti all'Expo, Laterza, Bari, 2014.

Sitography The evolution of office design. www.morganlovell.co.uk Office Design. History Of Office Space Design, 2020. www.bureauone.com Galvagni L., Ligresti, un impero sparito fra le inchieste. Resta solo la cassaforte elvetica, 2018. www.ilsole24ore.com Ornaghi N., Zorzi F., Nuovi clienti ,2018. www.gizmoweb.org Ferite aperte nello skyline, l'eredità di Ligresti. Scheletri di cemento e progetti di riqualificazione, 2018. www.ilgiorno.it PART II - Milan 2020-203 Bibliography PGT Piano di Governo del Territorio, Documento di Piano, Milano 2030, October 2019. Sitography Carlò F., Milano 2030: il nuovo Piano di Governo del Territorio per una crescita urbana equa, diffusa e sostenibile, June 2020. www.ingenio-web.it www.comune.milano.it www.pgt.comune.milano.it

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PART III - From office to home Bibliography Kendall S., An open building strategy. For Converting Obsolete Office Buildings to Housing, 2004. Forster W.,Das Wiener Modell/The Vienna Model. In Förster, W. and Menking, W. Housing for the Twenty-First Century City, Berlin: Jovis, 2015. Catalogue of Métamorphoses Bureaux Logements, Exposition présentée au Pavillon de l’Arsenal du 22 avril au 24 mai 2015. Bernstein L., Why the government should end permitted development rights for office to residential conversions, February 2019. Narayanan S., Alternate uses for redundant office high rises, 2016. Articles Guerritore C., & Duarte J. P. , Rule-Based Systems in Adaptation Processes: A Methodological Framework for the Adaptation of Office Buildings into Housing, 2019. Guerritore C., & Duarte J. P. , Manifold Façades, A grammar-based approach for the adaptation of office buildings into housing, 2016. Geraedts R. P., Van der Voordt, OFFICES FOR LIVING IN, An instrument for measuring the potential for transforming offices into homes, October 2002 . Geraedts R. P., De Vrijn N., Transformation Meter Revisited, Three new assessment instruments for matching the market supply of empty office buildings and the market demand for new homes. Remoy, H., Van der Voordt, D. J. M. (2014), Adaptive reuse of office buildings: opportunities and risks of conversion into housing. Building Research and Information, 42. Remoy, H. (2010), Out of office, a study of the cause of office vacancy and transformation as a means to cope and prevent, Amsterdam. Remoy, H., & Wilkinson S. J., Office building conversion and sustainable adaptation: a comparative study , Property Management, Vol. 30 Iss: 3, 2012. Remoy, H. & H. De Jonge, Transformation and typology; Vacancy, characteristics and conversioncapacity, In BSA 2007 conference proceedings. Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Remoy, H., Van der Voord, D. J. M. , Conversion of office buildings; a cross-case analysis, Paper presented at the BSA 2007, Tokyo. Remoy, H., Van der Voord, D. J. M. , A new life - conversion of vacant office buildings into housing”,

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Facilities, 25(3/4), 2007. Wilkinson S., & Remoy, H., Adaptive reuse of Sydney offices and sustainability, 2007. Thesis Capecchi G., O2H From Office to Home. Strategie e tecnologie per la riconversione funzionale del patrimonio terziario a Milano, Politecnico di Milano, a.a. 2012-13. Sfogliarini A., Riuso del terziario e nuovi modi di abitare. Il caso di Via Alserio a Milano come applicazione del "metaporgetto di rigenerazione", a.a. 2014-15. PART VI - Stephenson area Bibliography Molinari L., Le case che saremo. Abitare dopo il lockdown, Nottetempo, 2020. Sitography Gennai G., IL QUARTIERE STEPHENSON E IL PGT, July 2018. www.arcipelagomilano.org Buzzo E., Il residence sociale ALDO DICE 26X1 e le altre vittime dell’emergenza abitativa a Milano, September 2018. www.thesubmarine.it PART V - Metaproject Bibliography Bertram N., Mischkle J., Palter R., Modular construction: From projects to products, McKinsey & Company, 2019. Belpoliti V., Calzolari M., Davoli P., Guerzoni G., Il progetto esecutico per l'esportabilità e l'assemblaggio off/on-site del sistema costruttivo, Firenze University Press, 2019. Ferreira M., Jayasinghe L., Waldmann D., Hertweck F., Recyclable Architecture: Prefabricated and Recyclable Typologies, Sustainability 2020. Modular Building Institute Staff, Saving time with modular bathroom pods, 2017. Boafo E., Kim Jin-Hee, Kim Jun-Tae, Performance of Modular Prefabricated Architecture: Case StudyBased Review and Future Pathways, Sustainability 2016.

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Sitography www.modular.org www.newurbanbody.it

General sitography - www.lombardiabeniculturali.it - www.ordinearchitetti.mi.it - www.gizmoweb.org - www.domusweb.it - www.morganlovell.co.uk - www.comune.milano.it - www.treccani.it

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Image index PART I - The office [image 01] Atrium of the Larking Administration Building by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1906. [image 02] Bank of England, John Soane, 1818-23. [image 03] St Augustine at Work, Sandro Botticelli, 1480. [image 04] The Admiralty's Old Building, now known as the Ripley Building, built 1726 in Whitehall. [image 05] Oriel Chambers in Liverpool, England, 1864, the world's first building featuring a metal framed glass curtain wall. [image 06] John V. A. Weaver, King Vidor. The Crowd. 1928 [image 07] Photo of Larkin Administration Building. [image 08] Photo of the Johnson-Wax Administration Building. [image 09] The Lever House in New York designed by Gordon Bunshaft in 1952. [image 10] Photo of the interiors of the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. [image 11] Example of an office based on the principles of Bürolandschaft. [image 12] Photo of the Osram Office in Munich, designed by Quickborner in 1963. [image 13] Example of an office based on the principles of Action Office. opposite page: Photo of the Central Beheer in Apeldoorn by Herman Hertzberger in 1970. [image 14] Photo of the Central Beheer in Apeldoorn by Herman Hertzberger in 1970. [image 15] Steven Lisberger. Tron. 1982 [image 16] Example of an office based on the cubicle farm principles. [image 17] Photo of the SAS offices in Stockholm, designed by Niels Torp in 1988. [image 18] Photo of the TBWA\Chiat\Day designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects in 1998. [image 19] Example of a workspace in a Wework office. [image 20] Hermann Miller in the holistic offer of new ideas for office furnitures “Living Office”, 2013. [image 21] Smart-working examples. [image 22] "The Culture Trip" image by Marianna Tomaselli. [image 23] The business center in 1961, the UTC tower was under construction. [image 24] Isola and the Business Center, 1964. [image 25] The spire with the fomous "Madonnina del Duomo" and the Velasca tower in the background. [image 26] image of Piazza Cordusio once the financial heart of the city. [image 27] image of Mondadori Headquarters by Oscar Niemeyer in 1968-75. [image 28] Construction site of the Swiss Center in 1950. [image 29] Picture of the building from Via Larga. [image 30] Detail of the window flush with the facade in aluminum. [image 31] Detail of the corner of the building. [image 32] Overall photo with the Torre Velasca peeking out from behind. [image 33] Picture of the tower with the surrounding buildings.

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[image 34] Detail of the facade of the tower, composed by prefabricated elements. [image 35] Detail of the facade and of the metal elements. [image 36] opposite page: Chase Manhattan Bank seen from the corner with via San Paolo. Photography by Marco Introini, 2008. [image 37] Image of the Chase Manhattan Bank. [image 38] Detail of the steel structure anche the curved windows. [image 39] Detail of the portico with the steel structure. [image 40] Detail of the windows. [image 41] Photo of the building. [image 42] Photo of the building with the glowing neon light bands. [image 43] Photo of the building. [image 24] Image of the Montedoria building. [image 45] Detail of the klinker coating and of the windows. [image 46] Image of the corner solution in the Montedoria building. [image 47] BBPR, Torre Velasca, Milan, 1956-58. Protected by decree of 25th January 2012. [image 48] Picture of the Tower Snia Viscosa in Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 11. [image 49] Torre Breda located in Piazza della Repubblica 32 design by Luigi Mattioni. [image 50] Picture of Torre Velasca. [image 51] Picture of Grattacielo Pirelli. [image 52] Hopper, E., Office in a small city, 1953. [image 53] Picture of the glass edge inside the building. [image 54] Picture of the interior space and the forniture. [image 55] Photo of the two towers. [image 56] Photo of the two towers and the common groundfloor. [image 57] Picture of the entrance. [image 58] Picture of the working area. [image 59] Detail of the north facade of the lower body, the linear building. [image 60] Detail of the material of the lower body. [image 61] Photo of the tower. [image 62] Photo of the two towers, one already renovated. [image 63] Photo of tower number two. [image 64] Hand drawn elevation of the two towers. [image 65] Photo of Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan. (@simonedaino95) [image 66] "Periferie plurali" drawing by Valentina Galluccio. [image 67] Picture of Salvatore in court in Milan in 1988. [image 68] Photos of different towers in the city of Milan. [image 69] "Milano Barona", picture of the towers of Viale Richard in 1988. [image 70] Aerial photo of Via Tucidite. [image 71] Aerial photo of Via Cavriana. [image 72]Aerial photo of Via Ramusio.

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[image 73] Aerial photo of Via d’Ascanio. [image 74] Aerial photo of Via Bugatti. [image 75] Aerial photo of Viale Richard. [image 76] Aerial photo of Via Lorenteggio. [image 77] Aerial photo of Via Polonia. [image 78] Complex of towers of Viale Giulio Richard.

PART II - Milan 2020-2050 [image 01] Piazza del Duomo. Image by Alexandr Hovhannisyan. [image 02] Milan, Piazza Duomo. Photo by Larissa Mihalik.

PART III - From office to home [image 01] Photo of the interior space of one of the Ligresti's towers in Stephenson area. [image 02] Centre Point office building in London that has been converted into 82 one to five-bedroom apartments. [image 03] Lyoner Straße by Stefan Forster Architekten. [image 04] De Generaal by Mei architects and planners. [image 05] Habsburgstrasse by em2n architects. [image 06] 101 - 103 bdv Macdonald by Lobjoy et Bowier Architects. [image 07] 26 Rue des Peupliers by XTU Architects. [image 08] Terminus house in Harlow. [image 09-12] Photos of the before and after reconversion of the building. [image 13-16] Photos of the before and after reconversion of the building. [image 17-18] Photos of the before and after reconversion of the building. [image 19] Image with all the different unit typologies. [image 20] Picture from the Exposition “Metamorphoses". [image 22] Cover page of the exhibition "Metamorphoses" organized in 2015 by the Pavillon de l' Arsenal in Paris. [image 22] Office building before the conversion. [image 23-24] New residential use of the building. The two images show the internal layout and the new system facade before and after the conversion of the building. [image 25] Office building before the conversion. [image 26-27] New residential use of the building. The two images show the internal layout and the new system facade, after the conversion of the building. [image 28] -Cover of the essay " Why the government should end permitted development rights for office to residential conversions". By Levitt Bernstein, 2019 (UK) [image 29] Exterior view of the Terminus House in Harlow (UK). [image 30] - opposite page: Exterior view of the Newbury House (UK). [image 31] Photo of the complex of towers of Stephenson area.

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PART IV - Stephenson area [image 01] Aerial photo of the area nowadays. [image 02] Aerial photo of the complex of five towers today. [image 03] Main driveway entrance on the north. [image 04] Sidewalk along the area. [image 05] Main driveway entrance on the south. [image 06] Grouding of the towers. [image 07] Ground floor of the 5th tower. [image 08] Second floor of the 5th tower. [image 09] First floor of the 5th tower. [image 10] Third floor of the 5th tower. PART V - Metaproject [image 11] Photo of one of the five towers of Stephenson area. [image 12] Photo of the panorama from the rooftop of one of the towers of the Stephenson area.

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Margherita Furia Bonanomi Enrico Robin

The transformation of an abandoned or disused office building into a home is confirmed as a highly strategic opportunity for the contemporary city. Meta-morphosis is a common practice that could serve as a guideline for the conversion of the Ligresti Towers into small and medium-sized homes, able at the same time to respond to the urgent housing demand for affordable housing and to solve the weaknesses of the outgoing situation in these building. The intention is to a developed a practice where, considering the drivers, risks, and criteria, the sporadic conversion of offices can be transformed into a strategy to be applied on a large scale.