International Seminar
The transformation of office districts and workspaces today

Online on Webex
11 Nov. 2020, from 9:15 am - 1:15 pm | 2:00 – 3:15 pm
Webex Viritual Classroom Bonfantini | To join the seminar
AUIC Polimi | WebPage Event

The seminar represents a moment of discussion and knowledge sharing about the issue of modification of office districts and service workspaces. Even before the effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the request of reconfigurations of office districts and buildings was a tangible reality in various European contexts, driven by diverse reasons: the vacancy created by a surplus of realizations by the real estate markets; the request of better quality and comfort; a multiplicity of services workplaces' geographies; changes in lifestyle and labour practices. Some of these conditions have been moreover dramatically affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Considering both realized projects and ongoing researches, the seminar intends to reflect on strategies, design tools and processes for the reconfiguration of office districts, with particular attention to urban scale, role, and issues of urban regeneration: soil design, in-between public space structure, presence of temporary and mixed activities, flexibility and greenery.
In this framework, complex projects of regeneration are presented in the opening and final sessions; current trends and projects in Milan are part of the second session; cutting-edge experiences are illustrated in the third section. Aim of the seminar is to focus on design trajectories and processes to reimage the office-directional workspaces as more able to absorb urban modifications and practices and to interpret new challenges of sustainability.

 9.15 - 9.39 | Opening
                    Massimo Bricocoli, Head of DAStU Department, Polimi
                    Bertrando Bonfantini, DAStU Polimi

 09.30 - 9.45 | Reasons of the seminar, research and design
                      questions obbiettivi, protagonisti ed esiti”
                      Giulia Fini, DAStU Polimi

 09.45 - 10.45 |  First Session 

                       Lyon Part-Dieu, Contemporary Metropolitan Hub:
                       regeneration strategies and tools for a complex unitary
                       project | François Decoster, l’AUC, Paris

                       Collaborative urban transformation - Learning
                       from Amstel III, Amsterdam |  Saskia Beer,
                       Transformcity, Amsterdam

                       *Question and Open Discussions

 11.00 - 12.00 | Second Session 

                       Wellbeing in the workplace. New interventions and
                       refurbishment of office blocks in Milan | Michele
                       Rossi, Park Associati, Milan

                       Coworking spaces in Milan: places for remote workers
                       during the Covid-19 pandemic? |  Ilaria Mariotti,
                       DAStU, Polimi
                       
                       *Question and Open Discussions

 12.15 - 13.15 | Third Session 

                       The Luchtsingel regeneration, Rotterdam. From an 
                       refurbishment of office blocks in Milan | Kristian
                       Koreman, ZUS Zones Urbaines Sensibles, Rotterdam

                       Brussels European District: a water project for binding 
                       service sector and context | Marco Ranzato
                       Dipartimento di Architettura, Università di Roma3

                       *Question and Open Discussions

Lunch Break 13.15 |- 14.00

 14.00 - 15.15 | Fourth Session 

                       Paris La Défense: Le Plan Guide des Espaces Publics 
                       and the Grande Arche Jardins  | Alessandra
                       Cianchetta, AWP Ltd, Architechts London,New York

                       *Question and Open Discussions

Final Roundtable and Conclusion
                       Antonella Bruzzese, DAStU Polimi
                       Carolina Pacchi, DAStU Polimi
                       Bertrando Bonfantini, DAStU Polimi
                       Giulia Fini, DAStU Polimi

Organized by Giulia Fini, DAStU Politecnico di Milano
In the framework of the Master in Urban Planning and Policy Design | Urbanism Course - Prof. B. Bonfantini, Prof. A. De Matteis with B. Galimberti and E. Porqueddu

Interested to the seminar, the research or need more information?
Write to giulia.fini@polimi.it

INFO & CONTACTS
AUIC Polimi | Website
giulia.fini@polimi.it