The purpose of the large Bicocca project was the reuse of the enormous area previously occupied by the Pirelli and Ansaldo factories into a site based on industry, university buildings, research laboratories, shopping centres and services.
The project has attracted the largest contribution from Europe in Milan. It is under the direction of Vittorio Gregotti who has attempted to create a "historical centre in the suburbs" around the grid of roads, open spaces and factory buildings.
Some of the buildings are restructured versions of the original industrial sites, others are new creations. They are aligned in blocks connected by five large pedestrian squares that provide a human centre and aid in the urban image of the area.
"The creation of simple, civil architecture without showing off" is what Gregotti has attempted to achieve. The Siemens research building, the residential buildings along Viale Sarca, the seat of the second University of Studies in Milan, and the layout of the open spaces are the elegant results.
Milan