Vegetation as adaptive project: regenerating Porta Romana shaping a new character

Nature-based solutions working on adapting urban spaces could inform the imperative transition of the contemporary project. From a design perspective, this means reshaping our cities’ relations and physical experience, overcoming the idea of just a technical answer to the climate crisis. Thus, an urgent question should address how architecture could translate technical/design tools into spatial, experiential, and compelling projects. The contribution focuses on the Porta Romana (Milan, Italy) transformation, in which the author collaborated in contact with the developer (COIMA REM), attended design briefs, and interviewed the design teams (among others with MDP, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SOM). Porta Romana regeneration focuses on a neglected railyard to host the Olympic Village for the Winter Olympic games in 2026 and an urban park, structuring a new adaptive space. The project is driven by the scope of using nature as an adaptive tool, rethinking the urban experience, and tackling urban climate fragilities such as floods and heat island. The project presents nature-based solutions to structure a new design vision for the city, regaining proximity between nature and architecture. This contribution highlights architectural opportunities and solutions that the climate-related issues could arise, critically addressing the project of the grounds and crownings.