Modern green steel-framed structure with translucent panels next to older graffiti-covered building, gravel ground, outdoor tables with closed umbrellas.

A modern structure with a green steel frame and translucent panels stands beside an older, graffiti-covered building. The ground is covered with gravel, and there are outdoor tables with closed umbrellas nearby.

Story

A lantern-like cycle workshop in Milan

San Cristoforo Ciclofficina stands as a beacon of adaptive reuse and community engagement, nestled within the urban fabric of Milan. Designed by the innovative minds of Tommaso Aliverti, Paolo Catrambone, and Tommaso Sossi, this temporary cycle workshop reimagines a disused railway site into a lively civic space.

The project is characterized by its lightweight steel structure and polycarbonate envelope, creating a luminous, lantern-like presence that transforms at night. The building rests delicately on a compacted soil embankment, eschewing permanent foundations and underscoring its temporary nature. This approach not only preserves the ground but also highlights the project's commitment to sustainability and circularity.

Inside, the space is a testament to material reuse, with aluminum sheets, plywood panels, and other reclaimed elements forming the interior finishes. The workshop is designed to be flexible, serving as a repair shop, meeting venue, and community hub, fostering new forms of collective life in Milan.

  • Lightweight steel structure with a polycarbonate envelope

  • Reversible construction on a compacted soil embankment

  • Modular steel frames allowing for future extensions

  • Ventilated sheet metal roof with generous overhangs

  • Use of reclaimed materials for interior finishes

Feature Description
Location Milan, Italy
Architect ORTUS . Aliverti . Sossi
Function Cycle workshop, community hub
Materials Steel, polycarbonate, reclaimed elements
Status Built

Technical Summary

Finishes

  • roof: Ventilated sheet metal roof with generous overhangs to improve summer performance and limit condensation.
  • walls: Thick cellular polycarbonate panels for insulation and ease of assembly.

Materials

  • steel — Structural frame
  • polycarbonate — External enclosure and walls
  • aluminum — Windows and doors
  • plywood — Interior finishes

Construction / Systems

  • foundation: Building rests on a 25 cm embankment of compacted soil, eliminating permanent concrete foundations.
  • structural: Modular system of braced steel frames for a simple, repeatable skeleton capable of future extensions.

Products

  • Not specified

Palette / Lighting

  • Colors: Not specified
  • Lighting: The building becomes a luminous lantern at night.

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