Urban regeneration, a former factory in Bovisa is reborn as a home for events and cinema

A district dedicated to events and advertising and film productions will come to life in the spaces of the former Trafileria Lombarda, in the Bovisa area of Milan, a short distance from the La Goccia park, which is at the centre of further development thanks to the projects of the Milan Polytechnic, which is building a sustainable Science and Technology Park and a public park here, thanks to Renzo Piano's design. The 13 million euro redevelopment project is signed by Superstudio Events, the company offering spaces and services for large events in Milan that was born within Superstudio, the project founded by Flavio Lucchini and Gisella Borioli in the 1980s. The works for the transformation of the 8,000-square-metre property, made up of three buildings, were started in recent weeks and Cbre Global Workplace Solutions Italia, the business division of the Cbre Group, will lead the redevelopment, which should be completed in May 2025.

Una vista degli interni dell’immobile

The project will maintain the original industrial architecture, with 15-metre ceilings, and will transform the former Wire Mill into a space for productions and events with high standards of sustainability and technology: the goal is to obtain Leed Platinum certification, which attests to the highest level of performance for eco-friendly buildings, Reset Air, based on continuous monitoring of the building's indoor air quality, and WiredScore Silver, which assesses building connectivity. Three halls, one of 900 square metres and two of 800 square metres, which together will accommodate up to 3,000 people, will be dedicated to film and advertising productions and to the event & live marketing of major international brands and Made in Italy businesses. There will be a refreshment area, a parking area for one hundred cars, as well as technical spaces such as production offices and a 400 square metre warehouse.

"Every intervention of ours has always had urban regeneration at heart, which is why we purchase disused structures and do not tear them down, but convert them into something new, modern and sustainable," says Tommaso Borioli, CEO of Superstudio Events. "We would like Superstudio Village to become a reference point for Italian and international realities, but also to favour the creation of an induced activity concentrated in the Bovisa area, in synergy with the other institutions that are investing in this district".

Negotiations are also underway for the acquisition of a property in Manhattan, with which Superstudio Events will launch its overseas activities. The two operations in Milan and New York follow the redevelopment of Superstudio Maxi, a former steelworks in via Moncucco. The structure's 10,000 square metres have been transformed into a space for large events that will be active from 2022 thanks to a 6 million euro investment. The expansion and growth of Superstudio Events are part of a sector in continuous development: the national events industry generates 65 billion per year, with an impact on GDP of over 36 billion per year (data from Live Communication Week held at the end of November 2023). Among the individual event types, the ranking is led by corporate events: trade fairs (33.7%), product and service launch events (32.3%) and corporate conventions (26.5%).