Advanced logistics and industrial development
Case study: Italmark integrated centre
Urban regeneration and a new commercial hub · Villanuova sul Clisi (Brescia)
Urban regeneration of an industrial complex, transformed into a new town centre
Covering around 40,000 m², the project came from the Italmark group’s (opens in a new tab) wish to convert a large disused industrial building into an integrated shopping centre, housing retail, services and social spaces for the community.
- Client
- Italmark s.r.l.
- Location
- Villanuova sul Clisi (Brescia)
- Floor area
- around 40,000 m²
former industrial complex - Sector
- Urban regeneration and a new commercial hub
A new centre for the town
The issue was not only the recovery of the existing building. The real question was how to build a new centre for a small town that had grown up around the cotton mill and had no recognisable historic centre.
The challenge
The design challenge was complex. The complex had to be made accessible and functional according to contemporary retail logic, with adequate parking, continuous routes and spaces that were easy to use, while preserving the architectural character of the original industrial site.
The most radical decision
The most radical decision was also the most decisive: demolishing a significant part of the existing building to create two levels of integrated parking serving both the centre and the town.
The retained buildings were reconnected by a glazed gallery, conceived as a covered market and a route through the town.
The piazza and the dome
At the heart of the complex is a large covered piazza on three levels, crowned by a truncated-cone glass dome that gathers and organises all the vertical and horizontal routes through the building.
The dome also has an environmental, bioclimatic role: the central volume acts as a natural ventilation stack, encouraging air exchange and helping to reduce the energy used for heating and cooling.
More than just an architectural feature, the piazza has become the social heart of the project: a recognisable, open space that people pass through, designed to host not only retail but community life.
The result
A new landmark for Villanuova sul Clisi
More than twenty years after its completion, the complex continues to function and to hold its role in the life of the town. Over time it has become a new landmark for Villanuova sul Clisi, hosting public events, activities and gatherings in partnership with local institutions.
The project shows how urban regeneration can produce economic value, functional continuity and shared recognition, keeping the industrial memory of the place alive without turning it into a purely conservative element.
Services provided
11 services, from urban planning to site supervision, coordinated in a single process.
Architecture and permits
- Urban planning and site transformation
- Architectural design
- Building, health and landscape approvals
- Detailed design
Engineering and building services
- Structural design
- Energy efficiency and environmental sustainability
Coordination
- Specialist coordination
- BIM modelling
Site and costs
- Site supervision
- Cost estimating and contract accounting
- Health and safety coordination
Gallery
4 images: each opens enlarged, and the arrow keys move between them.
A disused building, a new hub
Regenerate an existing complex or build new: let’s weigh together the planning, financial, technical and operational issues to find the path that creates the most value over time.