"IL CENTRO" SHOPPING MALL -

ARESE

"Il Centro" is one of the largest shopping centers in Europe and occupies part of the former Alfa Romeo in Arese freed from industrial warehouses. The whole complex shows a long shaded front thanks to the continuous wooden porch. The alternation of the pergolas, windows, shutters and the spaces under the eaves characterises the architectural composition of a Lombardy farmhouse. The lenght of the building is marked by five entries with overhangs supported by green marble columns. The main entrance to the hexagonal shape is the hub of the Shopping Centre, it introduces the supermarket and gives access to a long ramp to the balcony floor. Two hundred shops are situated on two levels of the gallery designed on the model of the Italian "piazza" or square. The path between the shops is spaced with cafés and restaurants in order to create points of aggregation and recall the walk that takes place in the historical centers. Trees and sculptures enrich the space. The coverage of the large internal road is made with a laminated wooden beam structure; the glass closure absorbs the external light and diffuses it inside evenly. "Il Centro" has won the MAPIC AWARDS in the category for BEST NEW SHOPPING CENTRE.