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The new extension of the IULM University campus reflects Milan's urban transformation, combining contemporary design with environmental sustainability to enhance the academic and public experience.
Within the broader context of Milan’s university system, IULM stands out as a center of excellence and a catalyst for new urban dynamics. The complex of buildings that houses this institution forms a true campus that has grown over years around its original core, blending some aspects of the anglo-saxon tradition—the structure of isolated pavilions in an open green space—with the courtyard and portico model typical of Italian history. Its urban context, rapidly metamorphosing, still reveals its original nature of being on the outskirts, where industrial buildings alternate with offices, residences, and a few public services.
An attractive place in continuous metamorphosis
The new IULM campus building simultaneously interprets the peculiarities of the urban surroundings, the needs of the functional program, and the character of one of the most dynamic institutions in the field of higher education. Its proximity to the railway and public transport stops grants it a privileged presence on the pedestrian flow leading to the main entrance of the complex. The new building creates a system of diverse high-quality open spaces around it, creating an attractive place for knowledge exchange.
Spaces that embrace the present and look to the future
The sequence of existing collective spaces constitutes the backbone of the complex. The internal road between IULM 1 and IULM 3 is enhanced by an arrangement that anticipates the entrance to the new building, creating a small square at ground level; this, in turn, faces a wide staircase that leads to the cafeteria, located together with the swimming pool and fitness area at a lower level. The large west-facing window displays the triple-height space, the true heart of the building that connects all levels with a series of open staircases. Each part of the program is optimally placed based on its size and needs for light and access.
A new environmental and urban awareness
The architecture of the building is based on the interpretation of a series of today’s shared values. The foremost is that of environmental protection: its roof utilizes diffuse lighting from the north through sheds and south-facing photovoltaic panels to minimize energy consumption; all materials and technologies aim in the same direction by containing their embedded energy and subsequent maintenance costs.
The features and language of the new building seek to reflect on the character of a “new urbanity” increasingly oriented to nature and the environment: its shapes and materials—the serrated profile of the crown and the use of exposed brick and glass—are an interpretation of both the industrial origin of the area and the existing architectures of the campus. Finally, the cantilevered element that extends the facade of via Russoli to the corner on via Filargo and carries a led screen at the head embraces the existing green space in front of the cafeteria and constitutes a strong signal for those traveling by train and pedestrians coming from Romolo. The attention to the local scale thus combines with the dialogue with the metropolitan dimension, in a Milan increasingly present on the global scene also thanks to a series of new high-quality identity architectures.
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