The regeneration project for the former Scalo Farini site in Milan presented an ambitious challenge: to transform this historic industrial site into a modern educational campus for the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. The aim was to respect and enhance the existing building, adapting it to accommodate all the functions and spaces required by a prestigious educational institution.
The campus incorporates lecture theatres, workspaces equipped with advanced technology for high-quality technical work, and more informal areas designed for socialising and study. The whole complex is designed to be surrounded by open spaces, accessible to the neighbourhood and the city, creating a direct link between the Academy and the surrounding urban fabric.
The building’s main façade has been designed to act as an entrance gateway, allowing access across the entire site. This represents a significant departure from the site’s original function, which was a self-contained system.
The inner courtyard and the industrial garden have been designed to elevate the existing spaces to new levels of public use. The connection between these spaces is defined by an access podium which, through the targeted demolition of the ground floor, opens up the entire development to its surroundings. The project for the regeneration of Scalo Farini is not merely an extension of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, but an opportunity to breathe new life into one of the most symbolic sites in Milan’s history. The Scalo thus returns to being a space for exchange: no longer of goods, but of ideas, creativity and innovation. A place for meeting and learning that reflects the city’s evolution and shapes its future.