Settimo Cielo Retail Park, the business park inaugurated the first time in 2011 has completed the expansion work in record time: to the 43,000 square meters of existing commercial area, 26,000 have been added, for a total of 69,000 square meters, winning the title of Commercial Park largest in Italy. The second phase of development started in October 2017 and ended in 2019, with an operation of around 40 million euros. The real estate is the Seventh Development, while the construction of the new spaces was carried out by Building with the design by Building Engineering and Boffa Petrone & Partners. The expansion of the “Settimo Cielo” Retail Park, with the areas identified as “sub-areas E and A2”, is a natural completion of a process begun in 2008 with the construction of buildings that now house a series of stores with brand leaders.

Enlargement, therefore, has as its primary project idea that of giving life to a continuation of the “walk” between commercial activities. From the square, which now houses the buildings whose flagship brands are Decathlon and Conforama, continue towards the new buildings. This intervention was conceived to create a so-called “closed court” space, where everything takes place, that is, within the “horseshoe” of the buildings. These new buildings also follow the modern tendency to create a commercial gallery “en plein air” rather than a covered “mall”. The buildings have the main facades facing the inner courtyard, which also houses the car park.

The choice of the “court” type was dictated by the desire to offer all the shops facing it the same visibility towards the patrons. In this perspective, the central building is also located (with a construction type in reinforced concrete in place, unlike the other two buildings that have a prestressed reinforced concrete structure), a barycentric with respect to the parking lot itself, which was deliberately designed with a lower height and with a high percentage of glazed surface so as not to preclude the previously mentioned concept of visibility. On the square of the inner court three zones have been created designed to be used differently. The first sees a large pedestrian area overlooking the rest of the retail park where you can stop. The second is located at the edge of the L-shaped building, and is intended to host both summer and winter outdoor activities, such as an ice skating rink or small temporary markets. The third is a large area, covered by a metal structure, in front of the central building, where, through the use of refurbished freight containers, a post-industrial setting was created.

Everything is completed by a series of kiosks, also with widely glazed surfaces, which house part of the retail park administration service. The remaining administration exercises are located in the Food Court area, identified by a laminated wood roof, which allows the consumption even outside, providing shade and shelter from the weather. These exercises enjoy glass-fronted “bow-windows” characterized by a different architectural movement for each one. Inside the small square there are other kiosks, also characterized by large glass surfaces, always in the name of the concept of permeability to the previously mentioned view.

The parking lots were built with tiles that host the green inside, with the exception of the lanes and parking lots for people with disabilities. In these areas it is also possible to find an area with turrets with an electrical charging function for vehicles and an area for animals.

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