Milan’s urban transformation continues unabated. Among the city’s most ambitious projects stands the redevelopment of the former Manifattura Tabacchi area, an initiative promising to transform a historically significant industrial site into a cutting-edge residential, cultural, and commercial hub. At the heart of this regeneration lies Mia Tower, a residential project led by Giuseppe Crupi, CEO of Abitare Co., whom we interviewed to understand this groundbreaking development.
Two Decades in the Making
The Mia Tower story begins in 2008, when an ambitious urban regeneration plan took shape encompassing approximately 17 acres between Viale Fulvio Testi and Via Suzzani. The site witnessed Milan’s industrial history from 1929, when it housed the Manifattura Tabacchi tobacco factory, through decades of production until its closure in 1990. After years of abandonment, an investor acquired the property with a vision to preserve its architectural heritage while restoring it to the community. Now, after nearly two decades of planning, construction has entered its final phase with completion expected within 30 months.
An Integrated Urban Ecosystem
The Manifattura Tabacchi redevelopment extends far beyond conventional real estate development. It represents an urban ecosystem integrating public and private functions in an innovative mix. Alongside residential units—some already completed and occupied—commercial spaces are emerging, including a supermarket opening soon. Yet it’s the cultural and social offerings that truly distinguish the project: a cinema museum, the Luchino Visconti film school, a carabinieri barracks, temporary residences, a university campus featuring 400 rooms and 600 beds across 27,000 square feet of common areas, plus essential services including a senior center and daycare facility.
Mia Tower: Architecture and Sustainability Serving Community
Mia Tower represents the residential centerpiece of the development. The building distinguishes itself through innovative double-skin design: a central core wrapped by a secondary structure that provides both architectural elegance and functional protection against the elements for balconies and loggias.
Housing 187 residential units ranging from studios to five-bedroom apartments, the tower offers diverse living solutions. What sets Mia Tower apart is its emphasis on shared spaces: double-height lobbies, play areas for children and adults, music rooms, reading libraries, rooftop gardens with cultivable urban plots for residents, fitness centers, spa facilities, and a public plaza opening the complex to the broader city. Each apartment incorporates sustainable technologies and materials, aligning with rigorous environmental standards.
The Mia Tower project isn’t simply another residential complex: it’s a model of urban regeneration that honors history, embraces sustainability, and builds community – marking a new chapter in Milan’s metropolitan development story.
Mia Tower rappresenta il cuore residenziale del progetto. L’edificio si distingue per il suo design innovativo a doppia pelle: un nucleo centrale avvolto da una seconda struttura che conferisce eleganza architettonica e protezione funzionale contro le intemperie per balconi e logge.
Con 187 unità abitative che spaziano dal monolocale al pentalocale, la torre offre una varietà di soluzioni abitative. Ma ciò che distingue Mia Tower è l’attenzione agli spazi comuni: hall a doppia altezza, aree gioco per bambini e adulti, sala musica, biblioteca, roof garden con orti urbani coltivabili dai residenti, palestra, spa e una piazza pubblica che apre il complesso alla città. Ogni appartamento incorpora tecnologie e materiali sostenibili, allineandosi con i più rigorosi standard ambientali.
Il progetto Mia Tower non è semplicemente un nuovo complesso residenziale: è un modello di rigenerazione urbana che rispetta la storia, abbraccia la sostenibilità e costruisce comunità, segnando un nuovo capitolo per Milano e il suo sviluppo metropolitano.
Source: Idealista
