The CityLife Shopping District in Milan, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects is now open to the public. The 32,000 sq m shopping centre forms part of the CityLife development in the district surrounding the Tre Torri station on the M5 line of Milan’s metro.
The three storey shopping centre connects to the smoothly swooping Zaha Hadid Architects-designed mixed-use, 44-storey Generali Tower, set to complete in 2018 and a wider public park, central plaza and residential area spanning 90 acres. The whole CityLife complex, located at Milan’s old trade fair grounds, is one of Europe’s largest redevelopment projects.
The CityLife Shopping District and Generali Tower designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, which sit at the heart of the CityLife redevelopment project in Milan.
The defining design factor of the shopping complex is the extensive and exquisite use of bamboo – the material flows from the flooring and extends into columns that eventually reach the ceiling in one swift wave-like motion. The bamboo was curved into shape using resins under high pressure and engineered blocks of the bamboo were carved into ribs by a 5-axis CNC milling machine, then hand finished to create the totally smooth and fluid interior effect.
The dark honey-coloured bamboo swells into counters in the food halls which feature new Italian and international restaurant offerings, and brings a natural warmth to the shopping galleries containing brands such as Adidas, Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger and Timberland.
The shopping district opens up onto the Tre Torri Piazza, designed by One Works and an open-air pedestrian shopping street designed by architect Mauro Galantino, which in turn connect to the wider area featuring architectural projects by Arata Isozaki, Daniel Libeskind, and the CityLife Milano residential complex designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and completed in 2013. The CityLife Park surrounds and connects the separate elements of the CityLife complex together through green public realm.
The layered architecture features skylights that bring plenty of light into the galleries
Bamboo is used extensively in the interiors, pictured here flowing from columns to ceiling in a smooth, organic motion
The ribbed effect was created with a 5-axis CNC milling machine and then hand finished
Bamboo was chosen by the architects for its warm aesthetic
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Zaha Hadid Architects website
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebratingChampagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
-
Giovanni Michelucci’s dramatic concrete church in the Italian DolomitesGiovanni Michelucci’s concrete Church of Santa Maria Immacolata in the Italian Dolomites is a reverently uplifting memorial to the victims of a local disaster
-
Christian de Portzamparc’s Dior Geneva flagship store dazzles and flowsDior’s Geneva flagship by French architect Christian de Portzamparc has a brand new, wavy façade that references the fashion designer's original processes using curves, cuts and light
-
Milan’s 10 Corso Como revamp nods to the concept store’s industrial characterMilanese concept store 10 Corso Como unveils its new look by 2050+, a stripped-back design that nods to its 20th-century character
-
Carlo Ratti announced curator of Venice Architecture Biennale 2025Carlo Ratti has been revealed as the Director of the Architecture Department at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, with the specific task of curating the 19th International Architecture Exhibition
-
Floating infinity pool by Herzog & De Meuron at Lake Como is largest of its kindHerzog & de Meuron creates the largest floating infinity pool in the world for Mandarin Oriental in Lake Como
-
Freddy Mamani on Neo-Andean architecture and bringing a cruise ship to BoliviaWe catch up with Bolivian architect Freddy Mamani at Focus: Radical Repair, the conference curated by The World Around and Fondation Cartier in Milan, to talk about Neo-Andean architecture and his latest project, el Crucero de los Andes
-
Best of brutalist Italian architecture chronicled in new bookBrutalist Italian architecture enthusiasts and concrete completists will be spoilt for choice by Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego’s pictorial tour
-
Studio Tropicana, Switzerland and Italy: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023Based in Switzerland and Italy, Studio Tropicana is part of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
