Spark Business District

The Spark Business District in Milano Santa Giulia – MSG LEGO – is the first Italian project awarded with the LEED® for Neighborhood Development Certification – Built. The project is a new business district with office buildings, restaurants, and connected public spaces within a mixed-use area. The three buildings that insist on the plot, namely Spark One, Spark Two, and Sky 3, host mainly office functions and community services at the ground level of the Spark buildings such as bars, restaurants, and a gym open to the public.

The diversity of uses makes the environment alive, gathering people together by also offering public green areas with facilities that encourage people to stop and enjoy the place.

Sustainable Measures, Efficient Systems, And Materials Solutions

The coordinated effort for urban regeneration has led to the development of a district characterized by the integration of highly sustainable measures, energy and water efficient systems, and materials solutions that aim at reducing the environmental impact connected to such development and improving the quality of life of users and people living in Santa Giulia.

The keywords in developing the LEED certification strategy for the Spark Business District project were:

• Resilience
• Systems and design efficiency
• Emissions reduction
• Mitigation of the urban heat island

New Urban System Highly Connected To The City

Meeting the goal for energy efficiency and emissions reduction was also helped by the efficient systems of Sky 3, Spark One and Spark Two, and the location itself is well-connected to the city of Milan thanks to a dense network of public transport.

In addition, new bicycle paths connect the site to several functions, with the possibility for users to reach the area by bike and park their bikes in secure parking spaces. The urban regeneration intervention of Spark Business District has indeed created a new urban system highly connected to the city.

Walkability within the area is also guaranteed by the design of public spaces and the connection with diverse uses located around Santa Giulia at walking distance from Spark Business District.
Hence, all these aspects together contribute to a less car-dependent site, as well as safe and pleasant spaces to walk and bike through.

The design of the exterior spaces of the Spark Business District

The design of outdoor spaces played a key role not only in the creation of user-friendly areas but also in the implementation of strategies for the mitigation of the urban heat island effect. Vegetation can indeed help reduce surface temperature by providing shade. Along with vegetation, material choice also has a great impact.

By selecting paving materials with high solar reflectance value, it is possible to mitigate the heat island effect in the area and reduce cooling loads in the Summer thanks to a lower outdoor air temperature.

The certification process of Spark Business District has demonstrated that LEED for Neighborhood Development is an effective tool to create more sustainable, well-connected neighborhoods. The LEED Gold certified district is not only a statement of Lendlease commitment to shaping a better environment but should also represent an inspiration for future development to create sustainable, accessible, and connected neighborhoods, which are safe and inclusive for people, focusing on issues such are resilience, efficiency, and innovation.