The Library of Trees in Milan

Extending over an area of 9.5 hectares, the Library of Trees Park is gradually tak-ing shape. It is set to become the central feature of the Porta Nuova district and the third largest public park in the centre of Milan. The park is divided into three main areas: the largest area is between Via Gioia, Via Pirelli and Via De Castillia, a second area is on the roof of the underground carpark in Piazza Einaudi and the third area is a straight strip running alongside Viale della Liberazione. Thanks to the grassland and numerous trees, the aim is that it will have a positive impact on the microclimate and ecosystem of this urban area.

The park, which has around 450 trees of 21 different species, 34,800 m² of grassland and almost 90,000 hedges, bushes, climbing plants, aquatic plants and ornamental plants, is set to become the largest pedestrian area in the city with 170,000 m² of footpaths and 5 km of cycle tracks.

The final layout of this park, the first in Milan designed according to a contemporary landscape concept, is based on three main elements that are visible particularly when viewed from above: the main pathways that connect the outer areas of the park, irregular shaped patches of land that form the gardens, grassy areas, flower beds and small piazzas, and circular copses made up of groups of trees to create what are considered to be “green rooms”.

In 2004, within the framework of a more comprehensive project to restore and redevelop the areas in the Garibaldi-Repubblica zone, Milan City Council issued an international design tender to define the layout of the park. The tender was awarded to the Inside Outside|Petra Blaisse design studio from the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Studio Giorgetta design studio of Milan, and was approved in 2014. In June 2015 Coima Sgr took over from the City Council to carry out work on the public park in lieu of building permit fees for the Porta Nuova development.

The first lot (an area of 7,500 m²) between Via De Castillia and Via Sassetti was inaugurated in April 2017 and has around fifty trees of three different species (ash, hornbeam and black poplar), bocce courts, water features, a playground and a series of vegetable patches for didactic purposes where workshops are held on a weekly basis. The second lot, which has also been completed, will be inaugurated in the autumn of this year, giving the recently planted trees time to grow and become established before the first visitors arrive.

THE ORNAMENTAL POND

There is also a large, triangular shaped ornamental pond in this new area. For waterproofing below the foundation slabs MAPEPROOF LW was used, a type of bentonite sheet for structures below ground level with a water table less than 5 m. The sheet was folded around the base. IDROSTOP B25 hydro-expanding bentonite joint was also applied for sealing the second pour of concrete.
The waterproofing work continued by applying two coats of MAPELASTIC FOUNDATION two-component cementitious mortar with a roller, which is applied in layers at least 2 mm thick. The joint between the two waterproofed surfaces was then sealed with MAPEPROOF  MASTIC natural sodium bentonite grout.

To waterproof the internal surfaces of the pond (around 500 m²), PURTOP 1000 two-component, pure polyurea membrane was applied by spray, a product used to form high performance waterproof coatings on storage tanks, pools and hydraulic structures directly on site. Before applying it, all the surfaces were treated with a coat of TRIBLOCK P epoxy-cementitious primer, which is used to waterproof damp substrates, followed by a coat of PRIMER SN epoxy primer broadcast while still wet with QUARTZ 0.5 quartz sand. Stone slabs were then bonded inside the pond using KERAPOXY anti-acid epoxy mortar, which is used for both bonding and grouting joints.