The new Formafantasma Milan office, set in an industrial space within the Assab One cultural complex. Pictured above is the open workspace: most of the furniture in the studio was designed by Formafantasma and made by DiSé, a manufacturing studio based near Catania, using light maple wood

The area north of Milan’s Piazzale Loreto is not on the city’s traditional design circuits. It doesn’t have the cobblestoned charm of Brera and the fashion triangle, there isn’t an abundance of former warehouses turned into cultural destinations, and it’s probably not where you’d want to take a walk on a sunny day. There’s a tinge of dystopia to the area, which is defined by one of the city’s largest traffic arteries, a string of supermarkets, petrol stations, and apartment and office buildings that grow less and less picturesque as you move away from the city centre. But change is afoot: Milan-based architect Andrea Caputo is now working as part of a team to transform the Piazzale with green spaces and pedestrian areas ahead of the 2026 Olympics, a project that will instil new life into neighbouring areas. ‘The neighbourhood was really overlooked until now, but its transformation is evident,’ says Andrea Trimarchi, co-founder of design studio Formafantasma. ‘Restaurant openings, concerts, events in the area’s parks; so many new things are popping up. It’s also a very diverse area, with active local associations and several well-established South American and African communities.’