Invited by Hines and Prelios, AECOM was requested to propose a “vision” for the 1.4 million square meters of land located on the area named “Ex Falck Area”, previously occupied by the Falck’s steel mills that shut down in 1995.

Although the proposal was not selected, AECOM presented ‘Sesto Bloom’, a vision for a new district. The project was developed with a team of 15, inclusive of experts from infrastructure, transportation, energy, traffic, environmental and costs.

The proposal entails a hub for emerging services and lifestyle, with residential areas, mixed-use services, attractive amenities, and a next-generation park. The consolidated urban core builds on the City of Health and Research as an economic driver but also establishes a clear identity for the full development area and improves the coherence and viability of Sesto San Giovanni overall.

AECOM coordinated efforts from Milan, Madrid and London proposed a range of scenarios that adapt the existing baseline masterplan to increase the ‘saleability’ of proposed development. We did this by increasing real-estate value through strategic urban consolidation, and by reducing up-front costs for infrastructure and remediation.

Our phasing strategy recognises the constraints of the existing boundaries, complexity of property relationships, and the timing of remediation works.  More importantly, we aimed at creating a complete sense of ‘place’ with each phase – stand alone identities that will progressively complete the attraction of the whole.  Our proposed masterplan complies with applicable urban/regulatory restrictions (the ADP) and outperforms the existing masterplan across a wide range of economic, social, and environmental measurements.