Abstract
The study presents a didactic experience for the deep refurbishment and the revitalization of the San Siro neighborhood in Milan (Italy). The public housing is a significative example of the 20th-century architecture (also named “Italian Modernism of Architecture”), designed by the Italian architects—Franco Albini, Renato Camus, Giancarlo Palanti, and Laslo Kovacs (1938–1941). Nowadays, it is a multicultural area, characterized by the presence of a fragile population, with strong socio-spatial inequalities, intercultural and intergenerational conflicts. Here, an architectural design project is realized, experimenting with innovative and up-to-date design solutions. This experience develops a sensitive awareness of the multidimensional complexity of the environmentally responsible design, which requires a critical balance among different disciplines and skills. The reusing of existing buildings has sustainable importance for preventing new land-uses and for saving the potential energy consumption related to the construction process. Only a widespread knowledge of the local socio-economic conditions through participatory actions permits the selection of appropriate retrofit solutions, considering also the high cultural, social, and economic values. Functional and social mix, space flexibility, green design, renewable energies, circular economy criteria, and continuative maintenance are the correct strategies for boosting the social revitalization and for improving fairness, safety, architectural quality, human comfort, energy efficiency, and sustainability in this public housing neighborhood.
Highlights
Public housing neighborhoods are important parts of a city
The results of the historical research are synthesized as a starting point for the architectural design project
The study presents a didactic experience for enhancing the San Siro public social housing neighborhood in Milan (Italy)
Summary
Public housing neighborhoods are important parts of a city. They represent a series of contradictions, related to the high human and social value as well as to their abandon, low-cost alienation, architectonic and social degradation, sub-letting, rack-renting, failed regeneration, or gentrification attempt [1,2]. It can boost the application of contemporary living models, sustainable management strategies, and maintenance procedures, which can balance the up-to-date requirements of energy efficiency, human comfort, and operating cost-reduction [12], ensuring energy and economic benefits [13] Their deep renovation represents an important challenge towards the transition from public neighborhoods to sustainable cities, in the areas with poor building quality and social conflicts [14]. Behavior and local cultural factors, in particular, can reduce the efficiency of the renovation initiatives, impacting on energy use, conservation state, management, and maintenance operations [31,35] These barriers need to be overtaken by an integrated approach based on tailored design strategies that consider innovative and affordable solutions, faster construction processes, legislative controls, and skill levels of the residents for improving their quality of life [1,35,36]. A specific didactic methodology is developed and experimented
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