MILAN, 25th November 2022 | Yesterday evening at Fonderie Napoleoniche of Milan saw the awards ceremony of the second edition of The Plan Real Estate Award take place. Among the finalists were Nhood Italy, who specialise in urban redevelopment and retail, winning the “Innovation and Design” award for Merlata Bloom Milano.
The event – named “(Città Aumentate e) THE PLAN Real Estate Award” – started at 6.30pm with a discussion panel about augmented cities, in which many people participated including Erica Turchetti, CEO of Cofoundry, Nicola Leonardi co-founder and director of The Plan, Barbara Cominelli CEO of JLL Italy and The Plan Real Estate Award’s juror, Luca Giannelli CEO of United Consulting and The Plan Real Estate Award’s juror and Stefano Galasso, CEO of 2Waycom.
At 7.30pm, the Plan Real Estate Awards ceremony started, with the objective of promoting the most successful real estate transactions and celebrating the best architectural quality, value and real estate investments, factoring in sustainability, innovative technology and social values. Anand Remtolla, CCO at Nhood Italy and Alessandro Ossena, shopping center manager at Merlata Bloom Milano participated as offical representatives of the nominated project, Merlata Bloom Milano.
Merlata Bloom Milano was designed by global architecture firm, CallisonRTKL. The lifestyle centre – spanning 80,000 m2 – provides a space for meetings, play, entertainment and over 40 gastronomic experiences.
Among the elements influencing the nomination of Merlata Bloom Milano for this important award were innovation and sustainability, thanks to a particular geothermal plant, glass surface, natural green and an innovative rainwater collection system, authorisation and legal process for the opening and construction of the shopping center including the managment of natural light, water, ecological materials such as wood, construction Breeam, membrane insulation of the centre and the special cover system of the Winter Garden; best practice in the construction site management and in the relationship with the supply chain.
Anand Remtolla, CCO – Chief Commercial Officer Nhood Italy, claimed: “We are proud that the first recognition for Merlata Bloom Milano is about its most peculiar features, innovation and design. Innovation and design for us mean spaces created to offer a pleasant and sociable environment in any moment of the day, in a green environment illuminated by natural light, where hospitality and retail will be embraced by an iconic architecture, integrated within a 30-hectares park connected with the innovation district of Milan and an upcoming area. Merlata Bloom Milano is a project of regeneration and urban retail. Together with its Food & Beverage component and the entertainment area, it will be a place of life structured around the needs of those who already live in the area, but also to all the visitors who will choose it for its innovative lifestyle centre nature. An innovation that inevitably takes
into account the digital component. We will inaugurate the first physical shopping centre in Italy, with its own unique ecosystem and dedicated e-commerce.”
Jorge Beroiz, Principal at CallisonRTKL, who are the architecture and design practice who worked on Merlata Bloom Milano, comments: “There are two particular elements in Merlata Bloom Milano that make us proud: the climate reactivity with the highly integrated innovation and its mixed-use DNA.
“This lifestyle center was carefully designed to withstand the weather, the daily light and the clients, using parametric and analytical tools during the design process in collaboration with our calculation and sustainability expert, as well as some academics.
“Moreover, the mass of lumber used for the entire connecting skylight, will reduce the carbon emissions, replacing almost 4 or 5 years of operation. Merlata Bloom Milano will be the connector and catalyst among the innovation district of Milan MIND, the universtiy accommodation, the Milan RHO Fair and the flourishing Cascina Merlata area. New energies come together in an extraordinary urban redevelopment project with a futuristic vision beyond the borders of traditional retail real estate.”
Merlata Bloom Milano is the beating heart of the first urban smart district in the city, one of the most important properties in Europe as well as the biggest and innovative lifestyle centre under construction in the residential area Uptown (EuroMilano), Cascina Merlata and the innovation districted MIND (Lendlease). Overcoming the traditional concept of commercial area, Merlata Bloom Milano offers a new commercial solution distributed over 70.000 mq of which 20.000 mq has been designated for food & beverage, culture, entertainment and leisur. This also includes one multiscreen cinema and three experiential floors with over 180 signs, of which 43 new food concepts are being developed with a new idea of hospitality serving breakfastfast, lunch and fine dining experiences. Almost 1/3 of the total area, indoor and outdoor of the project, includes event spaces, places of culture, indoor and outdoor sport areas and digital leisure. The building also comprises rooftops and open spaces to be enjoyed all day, embedded within an app and a marketplace in order to experience the Merlata Bloom Milano lifestyle all year round.