Carlo Ratti Associati win Re-inventing Cities competition with biophilic 'urban vineyard' which weaves around the building like a DNA Helix

– Alexei Dal Pastro
Carlo Ratti Associati have unveiled the first images of VITAE – their winning concept in the Re-Inventing Cities competition.
The mixed-use building will have show-stopping biophilic elements, including a 200-metre 'urban vineyard' which weaves up through the building from the ground floor to the roof.
The green pathway will be designed to reflect the double-helix structure of DNA to symbolise the "embrace between research and biophilia".
The €40m (US$44.6m, £35.4m) scheme, which is being backed by real estate company Covivio, will also house a farm-to-table restaurant, office units, a cancer research centre, and a select number of guest rooms.
The new site will also serve as a venue for events on nutrition and education.
“VITAE proposes an open and complex project, which designs new green spaces, and is open to city life," said Alexei Dal Pastro, CEO of Covivio's Italy division.
"It's also an opportunity to activate – through architecture – a virtuous process of cross-fertilisation of all the expertise of the actors involved."
The project, which is being built on a greenfield site on the via Serio in south Milan, is anticipated to be completed in 2022.
The Re-Inventing Cities competition is organised by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
Carlo Ratti C40 Milan urban vineyard

Thinkwell to deliver the world's first Play-Doh attractions in Saudi Arabia

Jayasom partners with Amaala to unveil multigenerational health resort in Saudi Arabia

OMA's Ellen van Loon is the visionary behind new cultural centre for Manchester

James Corner Field Operations creates Highline for London

Esbjerg’s landmark maritime center, designed by WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta, opens to the public

SEVEN to open world’s first indoor Discovery Adventures centres in Saudi Arabia

Fun and fear drive new Universal attraction concepts for Texas and Las Vegas

Voelker Gray Design creates 10-acre hot springs wellness haven for Atlanta

AIDarchitecten create healing spa for Antwerp's Botanic Sanctuary

Hollaway Studio's Seahive would bring blue health to South-East England

SEVEN to invest US$13bn in developing entertainment destinations across Saudi Arabia

World Spa’s expansive 50,000sq ft urban bathhouse and wellness club opens in Brooklyn

Floating Salmon Eye visitor attraction by Kvorning Design highlights sustainable aquaculture

White Arkitekter's Wood Hotel in Skellefteå Swedish Lapland is climate positive and made from local timber

Nohlab's 'Everything' installation among Noor Riyadh festival highlights

Bob Iger's return to Disney sparks major restructuring focused on creativity and storytelling

Therme Group plans US$200m urban wellbeing resort in South Korea

Digital art installation in Nanjing helps the public keep an eye on exoplanets

First glimpses revealed of flagship Blue Zones Centre in Miami

Warner Bros. and Infinite Reality launch metaverse experiences for live sports fans

Storyland Studios' Nigeria's film city project will break ground in Q1 2023

Canyon Ranch preps for major expansion with new destinations in Austin, Fort Worth and Houston

WilkinsonEyre-designed Battersea Power Station development opens as leisure district following £9bn redevelopment

Healthy cities conference to discuss diversity and inclusivity in urban planning and design

Foster and Partners reveal design for sustainable marine life centre on the Red Sea

Anaheim's US$4bn ocV!BE project approved by planners

Construction marches ahead for Saudi giga-projects Amaala and The Red Sea

HBG Design behind Michigan’s six-storey Aquadome inspired by the sun’s path across the sky

Seventh International Museum Construction Congress to be held in Norway this year

The 'world's most anticipated museum' to finally open this year
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates