Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel selected to design “Unione Zero” parcel of MilanoSesto

ACPV wins contract to design office and hotel spaces as part of Italy’s largest urban regeneration project

International architecture and interior design practice Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV) has been awarded the design of an office building and a hotel as part of MilanoSesto, the most important urban regeneration project in Italy and one of Europe’s key developments. ACPV’s project will be part of "Unione Zero", the first private development parcel of the former Falck area in Sesto San Giovanni. Construction will begin in the second half of 2021.

ACPV will be in charge of the design of the office spaces and a 250-room hotel, based on a model of development that focuses on people and their needs. The intervention is part of the 1.5-million-sqm MilanoSesto masterplan by Foster + Partners, and will become the gateway to the newly regenerated urban area. The "Unione Zero" parcel – covering 250,000 sqm above and below ground – enjoys a strategic position, with its close proximity to the new Sesto San Giovanni railway station and the underground line that connects the area with the center of Milan in fifteen minutes. The development will rise next to the City of Health and Research – the new health center of the Lombardy Region.

"We are delighted to have been selected to participate in the largest urban regeneration project in Italy," says Patricia Viel, architect and co-founder of Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. "ACPV’s office building and hotel will become the gateway to the masterplan in its very first phase of development. This project demonstrates the firm’s continued commitment to designs that focus on sustainability and social well-being.”

The ACPV project, characterized by the use of BIM technology, embeds environmental sustainability and energy efficiency at its core, in terms of building performance and adherence to LEED, WELL and Cradle to Cradle standards. The design of the hotel and office buildings favors the use of innovative materials that reinforce circular economy principles, and fosters dialogue between public and private spaces.

Along with Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, international studios Barreca & La Varra, Park Associati, and Scandurra Studio Architettura were selected to create the seven buildings of “Unione Zero”. The selection process was coordinated by co-investor and development manager Hines.

"We are very satisfied with the outcome of the selection that saw the participation of some of the most distinguished Italian and international architecture firms," says Mario Abbadessa, Senior Managing Director & Country Head of Hines Italy. "The choice of four outstanding firms from Italy is an important sign for our country. I am convinced that, even if each studio brings its own style and approach, their combination will result in a synergistic project in line with the Foster + Partners design scheme. The challenge will be to innovate and bring the area into the future through a modern and contemporary proposal while preserving the memory of the industrial site with a great history and enhancing it in terms of sustainability and integration with the territory." This project represents ACPV's ongoing involvement in innovative urban regeneration projects. Recent works include the masterplan of the Symbiosis business district for Covivio, south of Milan’s Porta Romana area; the San Babila Business Center for Goldman Sachs in Milan; and the restyling of Enel's historic headquarters in Viale Regina Margherita in Rome.