Urban Life, Open Air — Shaped by Structural Cantilevers

The pedestrian zone designed by Mauro Galantino within the CityLife Shopping District in Milan is conceived as an open air commercial promenade set within the park, forming an integral part of the broader regeneration of the former Milan Fairgrounds. It is a contemporary urban space that brings together retail, landscape, and the quality of public space.

Conceived as a place for movement and social interaction, the pedestrian promenade establishes a continuous dialogue between green areas and commercial functions, acting as a key connective element between the covered gallery designed by Zaha Hadid and Piazza Tre Torri, the symbolic heart of the new district. The project interprets open air shopping through a sustainable lens, prioritizing spatial continuity, pedestrian accessibility, and integration with the surrounding landscape.

Set within Italy’s largest urban commercial district, with a total surface area of approximately 32,000 sqm, the intervention contributes to defining the identity of the CityLife Shopping District as a high end urban destination, offering shopping, services, and leisure spaces at the core of one of Milan’s most significant urban transformation projects.

Structural works play a pivotal role in enabling a strongly minimalist architectural language. The design takes shape through expansive cantilevered canopies covering the central pedestrian area and a first floor commercial band characterized by a double cantilever of 16 m and 25 m, conceived to emphasize the monumentality and visibility of the entrance from Viale Boezio.

Exposed structural elements are enhanced by white prefabricated façade panels, reinforcing the architectural clarity of the project and underscoring its essential, contemporary character