Carlo Ratti proposes climate-controlled 'Garden of Four Seasons' for new Milan neighbourhood
– Carlo Ratti
One of the largest urban regenerations in Europe is set to be anchored by a public garden where spring, summer, autumn and winter coexist together throughout the year.
The concept, called ‘Garden of the Four Seasons’, comes from the studio of designers, researchers and innovators Carlo Ratti Associati, and is being developed by property firm CityLife for a 366,000sq m (4 million sq ft) district in the west of Milan.
The 2,500 sq m (27,000sq ft) attraction has been designed for the Fiera di Milano, where architects Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind have visualised a residential, commercial and business district on the site of an old exhibition hall complex.
The plants in the garden would be maintained by a zero-net-energy climate control system, based on a concept by Dr. Barbara Römer, founder of the creative consultancy Studio Römer.
Hundreds of vegetable species are planned to be housed under a transparent, responsive membrane that uses sensors to open and close in order to regulate the environment.
Incoming solar energy would be partially collected through photovoltaic cells and redistributed among the different seasonal areas. According to the design team, by constantly adjusting lighting levels and heat, the system will allow plants to follow the different seasonal cycles.
“Thanks to a heat exchanger, energy can be used to cool space in the winter area, or to heat the summer space,” they said. “The system works much like a refrigerator would do, with cold coming out from one side, and heat from the opposite one. Further heat transfer between pavilions, when necessary, allows each one to achieve the desired intermediate environmental
Conditions.”
Digital sensors would also measure the quantity of water, temperature, humidity and nutrients needed by each vegetable species, and this information would be made visible to visitors in real-time in the form of “tweets” coming from the plants about their status.
Studio chief Carlo Ratti said: “As climate change might become more extreme, the importance of envisioning strategies for climate remediation will increase dramatically. This was our inspiration behind the ‘Four Seasons Garden’, in which we usher in a technique for a sustainable and emphatic Internet of Plants.”
His practice have previously explored climate products and services with their Cloud Cast, a system using motion tracking and ceiling-mounted misting elements to provide people with a cloud of direct and localized cooling; and Sun&Shade, a digitally-operated reflecting canopy that provides shading, climate adaptation and green energy generation in cities.
They are also trying to foster a closer relationship between urban dwellers and nature’s cycles with their planned pavilion for Italy’s FICO Eataly World, where guests can learn about food production by growing their own on-site.
Carlo Ratti Garden of Four Seasons architecture design landscapeCarlo Ratti reveals digital shading canopy for climate control and beautiful shadowing
Carlo Ratti designs underwater public plaza for Florida masterplan
Architecture meets agriculture: Visitors to become digital farmers at Italy's food theme park
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
How Portugal’s biggest brewer enlisted the help of one of the country’s best known architects to turn two historic nature parks into thermal spa and nature destinations