Park Associati, S.r.l.

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza 

Park Associati

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella

ARCHITECTS
Park Associati

DESIGN TEAM
Park Associati

PHOTOGRAPHS
Nicola Colella

YEAR
2024

LOCATION
Milano, Italy

CATEGORY
Urban Design, Public Space, Restoration

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella

Text description provided by architects

An elevated plaza, a discreet iconic place sharing the same material qualities with the surrounding historical environment - In the heart of Milan, in Piazza Cordusio, the restoration of the open space at the top of a building by Luca Beltrami commissioned by Countess Celeste Dario-Biandrà, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, generated an original place that slots into the built landscape of the nineteenth-century heart of the city.

Made of specially designed triangle-cut handmade terracotta tiles of different shades of color, the flooring of this new space shares its material qualities with those of Milan's roofs.

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella

Also covered in terracotta, the parapets create the impression of the building's pitched roof curving and extending onto the terrace. This creates an elevated plaza with a mimetic appearance, to which the noble materiality of terracotta lends uniqueness and understated elegance.

The project takes into account the building's Monuments and Fine Arts Office's restrictions, such as the ridge's height limits and the need to divert the terrace's existing utility supply systems.

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella

A motorized large-panel roof window provides the main access and a scenic element of ascent and is left permanently open whenever the terrace is being used.

Nautical wood seating and work areas are arranged into an extremely flexible space that can be used to take a break from work or organize outdoor meetings, conferences and events.

A removable overhang protects some of the areas equipped with tables from the sun, while the entire trapezoidal perimeter of the terrace features seats and panoramic recesses coated with satin brass-effect stainless steel.

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella

In terms of greenery, the vegetation proposed by the design approach is meant to spontaneously colonize the terracotta, in chromatic and textural uniformity with the surrounding urban context.

Visitors to the terrace are welcomed at the entrance by soft-colored medium-height plants with flexible stems that float in the wind; further on, the vegetation's size gradually reduces, with species chosen to ensure alternate blossoming throughout the year.

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella

These minimal accurate interventions, in perfect harmony with the terracotta, highlight in places small seasonal wonders, reminding us that we are in a unique place that owes its iconic character to discretion.

The project reveals a design concept focused on spontaneous nature, based on the search for a rich biodiversity populated by pollinator plants that in spring turn it into a point of reference for insects in the centre of Milan.

Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella


Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella
Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
© Nicola Colella


Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
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Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
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Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
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Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
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Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
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Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
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Terrazza Biandrà Elevated Plaza
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Park Associati, S.r.l.
T +39 02 798452
Park Associati, S.r.l.
Via Garofalo, 31, 20133 Milano MI, Italy