Zaha Hadid Architects designed the newly opened CityLife Shopping District in Milan, as part of the larger CityLife redevelopment that is expected to welcome over 7 million visitors annually when it's completed in 2020. 

Located above the Tre Torri station on the M5 line of Milan's Metro network, the 32,000m² shopping district combines a new public park with indoor and outdoor piazzas, a food hall, and variety of shops, restaurants, cafes, and a cinema, as well as health and well-being facilities. Directly above the district is the 44-story Generali Tower that will be occupied by the insurance company's Milan-based staff of 3,000 in 2018.

The bamboo flooring, louvered ceiling, and columns add a sense of warmth in the interior. “Assembled with resins under high pressure, engineered bamboo blocks were carved by 5-axis CNC milling and hand-finished to create the interior columns, capitals and counters,” ZHA says. 

Aside the shopping district, the CityLife project will also include 1,000 new homes, offices for almost 10,000 employees, a new 42-acre park, piazzas, and more — making it one of Europe's largest redevelopment projects.