The CityLife project is located in the heart of Milan, spanning 106 acres on the old fairgrounds of this historic city. The scheme of CityLife incorporates residential and office development, retail space and a museum all built around a central park, a much needed open space within the city. In 2004 Studio Daniel Libeskind along with Zaha Hadid Architects, and Arata Isozaki & Associates won the commission for the development of the site. In addition to leading the master plan, SDL is designing the central office tower, a residential tower, and two housing parcels - the first one, RB1, has just been completed.
The project is large, in both scope and area, and will ultimately create a new neighborhood in the cultural and historical context of Milan. The challenge posed by the Fiera site, which is central and critical to the development of Milan, is that it should not be viewed as merely a building development, but something more all together.
Milan is a cultural center for Italy, exhibiting the best of what the country has to offer. It is a place that holds the dreams, aspirations and pride of all the Milanesi. It is in this way that the site must be representative of the greatness of Italian design, furniture, fashion technology and deserves nothing less than a visionary, yet practical, urban scheme.