Page 22 - RC21 EDGE Summer Issue

Intelligent Buildings
Water Square, Milan Innovation District
SMART ‘MIND’ POWERS FUTURE
ITALIAN DISTRICT WITH HUMAN APPROACH TO BUILDING AND DESIGN
SUSAN CONSTANTINE
Head of Podium, Construction + Development Lendlease Digital, Europe
MILAN—YOU MIGHT KNOW IT as the financial capital of Italy, or even the global capital of fashion. But did you know the city is also becoming a driving force for research and innovation? In fact, fifty per cent of life science companies in Italy are based in Milan and, more recently, we’ve seen significant growth in the tech start-up culture there.
Welcome to MIND – where ‘futuristic’
means ‘no tech’ technology
At the heart of this city is the Milan Innovation District—also known as ‘MIND’ (situated on the former Expo 2015 site) and future home of state-of-the-art Galeazzi Hospital, a new science campus of the University of Milan, and Italy’s new research institute for Life Sciences, Human Technopole.
Unlike traditional business parks or technology parks, MIND is an innovation district centered around people, which embraces the traditional values of connection and
collaboration in renaissance-style designed ‘piazzas’. It’s about people and placemaking. A site where technology is constant but invisible—where technology is a tool that simplifies your life and is not relegated to the background behind countless gadgets and screens.
Think of it as the bluest and greenest innovation district, where nature is everywhere and where people feel welcomed. A place where sustainable design is part of the future. Where people become part of the movement and are conscious about water consumption and energy consumption. A district built with no carbon fossil fuels that will be absolute zero carbon by 2040 and resilient to climate change. A place where you will have an incredible quality of life and where ideas are born from the connection and collaboration of people from different backgrounds and sectors.
Innovation ecosystem – a new chapter for
property and construction
Three years into the project, and there are already some notable firsts. For starters, MIND represents a private- public partnership, based on a 99-year concession
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