Beauty, sustainability and cultural lymph are the three components that OGB STUDIO is pursuing in the redevelopment project for the former Linificio di Lodi. The firm of architects specialising in environmental certification for sustainability is also taking care of the design in this case, together with the Venetian firm apml Architetti Pedron/La Tegola.
Lodi has been calling for this renovation for over ten years, and the former linens factory – which has stood along the Milan-Piacenza railway tracks since 1909 – is to become a cultural hub for the city’s artistic heritage open to the public. At the inauguration, the archive room will be ready with ancient documents up to 1300. Once the work is completed, which is scheduled to last until March 2026, the ambitious spaces of the former industrial building will house offices, a reading room, temporary exhibition hall and archives in the basement; the mezzanine floor will house the museum, auditorium, offices and reading room, laboratories, a bar and restaurant; while the mezzanine floor will host recreational workshops.
A key aspect in the realisation of this project is sustainability. Architects Laura Scrimieri and Riccardo Hopps, owners of OGB STUDIO, describe the design and realisation in detail. “It is no longer conceivable to design a building that does not respect the principles of sustainability, environmental impact, and people’s wellbeing: this is why we are carrying out an important environmental consultancy both as designers and as sustainability consultants. Our analysis began by comparing the tender and executive design, identifying solutions to significantly improve all environmental indices in order to reduce the building’s environmental impact. It is important to emphasise that minimum environmental criteria have more restrictive rules as they are mandatory tender requirements that 100 per cent of public tenders must comply with. In contrast to certifications which are voluntary. A relevant example is the requirement that all materials used contain a percentage of recycled content and a low content of volatile organic compounds, thus ensuring a reduced environmental impact and a more efficient use of resources”.
Laura Scrimieri concludes, “In concrete terms, our proposals focus on the choice of materials, on site consumption, and on systems, guaranteeing that every aspect of the project respects the highest environmental standards, thus the verification of all materials and products; the drafting of a material balance up to the end of life and LCA analysis, the Life Cycle Assessment: the methodology that evaluates the environmental footprint of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle. Furthermore, the project designed to guarantee sustainability for 60 years includes a study of natural and artificial lighting to include large windows that also respect the limits of the superintendence. Already on site, there is a high percentage of sustainability as all materials used have a low voc content. In April 2024, the renovation work began, with the goal of completion by March 2026. This phase must also remain aligned with the environmental principles of correct management of site activities, monitoring and reducing impacts, waste production, recovery and recycling, as well as the correct application of all design choices”.
For more information visit www.ogbstudio.com.
