Turning old into new is the motto of the city of Milan, Italy. But in a pioneering way. That's why the city is currently pursuing a series of construction projects that will redesign or repurpose old buildings to meet today's needs. "Forrest in Town" is one such project.

Residential complex with special courtyard garden

In the district of Barona, a suburb of Milan, the former Galbani factory and an old farmhouse between the canal Naviglio Grande and the headquarters of the University of Milan are being transformed into residential buildings covering an area of 10,000 square meters. There will be 89 apartments of various sizes, all facing a 5,000 square meter landscaped courtyard. The name itself  "Forrest in town" indicates the size of the garden that will be created.

The complex, promoted by Gruppo Building and designed by Daniele Fiori's architectural firm Dfa Partners in collaboration with the Turin studio Boffa Petrone & Partners (Bp+p), aims at reducing environmental impact while contributing to the care of residents.

Hydroponic garden for residents

In an area of 250 square meters, below the central garden, a hydroponic plant is being created, where well water is reused to grow small leaf vegetables for the residents' own consumption, without the use of pesticides. This plant uses no soil at all.

Xella building solutions in use

Based on the criteria of green building and energy efficiency, complete Ytong and Multipor building solutions from Xella are being used at the "Forrest in Town" construction site.

The builders chose Xella products for a good reason: Ytong solutions guarantee thermal insulation, breathability, and acoustic comfort for the building envelope of the new residential complex. At the same time, the products are almost completely recyclable. The ecological, health and environmental properties and characteristics of the Ytong and Multipor products fit perfectly with the project's sustainability goals.

All products in the range have Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) that describe the optimal environmental profile, considering the entire life cycle, from resource extraction to disposal.

Ytong advantages: efficiency and speed

"The main advantage of the Ytong system is undoubtedly the fact that the entire external wall can be realized with a single product of the appropriate thickness, without the need for external cladding and internal counter-walls," explains architect Luca Petrone, co-founder of Boffa Petrone & Partner.

"The main advantages of the Ytong products are certainly the ease of use, the cost-effectiveness of the solution and the rapid installation, accompanied by compliance with the current technical regulations," adds Petrone.

"Forrest in town" is set to be finished within 2023.