The book tells about the urban renovation of Porta Nuova district, icon area of Milan regeneration and part of the city new imagery, through the voices of all clients, city planners, architects, designers, artists, engineers, scientists and public administrators that took part in the making of this 10-year long project that has radically changed the city skyline.
The co-curatorship with Kelly Russel Catella on behalf of Hines, the project developer and manager of this huge transformation, opens up to a reading which goes beyond the architectural features and underlines the process, entrepreneurial capacity and strategies that eventually re-connected three degraded areas of the city that today see a pedestrian rise, from 13 to 70%, an integrated landscape project which will culminate in the Biblioteca degli Alberi (Library of Trees Park), and several public spaces, first of all the elevated Piazza Gae Aulenti, in a dialogue with the verticality of new residential and commercial buildings, offices, a hotel and spaces for culture.
The book includes a photo essay by Gabriele Basilico on the builgding site, one of the biggest in Europe and all projects introduced by an interview with the architectural firms in charge of the masterplans: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects for Porta Nuova Garibaldi, Boeri Studio for Porta Nuova Isola and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associated for Porta Nuova Varesine.
Luca Molinari, Kelly Russell Catella (edited by), Porta Nuova. Italy Rises, Skira, 2015
Design
Marcello Francone
Scientific coordination
Romina Casagrande
Simona Galateo
Editorial coordination
Eva Vanzella
Layout
Paola Ranzini
Copy editor
Valeria Parenze
ISBN
978-88-572-2243-1