REIMAGINING PUBLIC LIVING
Modular strategies for a new urban model

To renovate means, first and foremost, to imagine a different future for what already exists. In a time when the regeneration of the built environment can no longer rely solely on energy performance criteria, the Energiesprong Milano project has emerged as an advanced testing ground for a new dialogue between architecture, industry, and the city. Promoted by EDERA and funded by Fondazione Cariplo for the Municipality of Milan, the programme calls for a rethinking of public housing through industrialised, replicable solutions that can restore quality to the places we live.

 Within this framework, Park was invited to develop a proposal for the ERP complex on Via Sant’Erlembaldo, in the Gorla district—a 1930s settlement with a strong historical identity, now at the centre of a broader urban regeneration initiative. Our design approach is modular, layered, and adaptive. Not a single answer, but an open system capable of enhancing the existing fabric while unlocking new spatial and social potential.

Three integrated strategies were developed. The first focuses on the building envelope: prefabricated panels follow the rhythm and proportions of the existing façade. These elements incorporate solar shading systems, mechanical components, and maintenance solutions, with the aim of reconciling technical precision and architectural value.

The second strategy introduces an additive structure: an independent exoskeleton reinforces the existing framework, hosts new outdoor spaces, improves accessibility, and enables a reorganisation of the housing units. This system supports a form of intelligent densification, leveraging the original typological qualities to create new housing without increasing land use.

The third strategy addresses the open spaces—currently undefined in function but rich in environmental potential. Existing greenery is treated as a climatic infrastructure, while the design introduces relational devices: micro-plazas, accessible vegetation, shaded areas and informal meeting spots, all designed to foster proximity and a sense of belonging.

Participating in Energiesprong Milano has allowed Park to expand the boundaries of architecture into a cultural challenge: to restore desirability and spatial dignity to what was once conceived as merely utilitarian. In this sense, the work on Sant’Erlembaldo finds a parallel in our experience with the Altane di Lambrate, where densification became a way to restore identity to a marginal context—through light, precise, and replicable interventions. Here too, prefabrication is not a limitation but a powerful design tool: one that generates form, variation, and relationships. A concrete path toward making public housing a true laboratory for urban innovation.

The project took shape through a series of interdisciplinary workshops coordinated by Luca Molinari Studio, which brought together institutions, experts, and designers for an active dialogue on industrialised construction and housing quality. A valuable opportunity to test architecture’s ability to address complex, real-world needs through tangible and shareable visions.

Credits: viz by Park