Milan to build Cambio network of "super-cycle corridors" linking 80 per cent of the city

Milan has committed itself to constructing 750 kilometres of bike paths by 2035 as part of a plan to make cycling the most convenient form of local transport.

Based on data about the daily movements of residents, the Cambio network will link existing cycle paths and supplement them with new "super-cycle corridors" that will connect the city of Milan in northern Italy and all 133 communes within its wider metropolitan area.

Once completed, it will place 86 per cent of Milan's population and 80 per cent of services, including hospitals, schools and businesses, within one kilometre of a bike route.

The network of 24 cycle highways is set to be completed in 2035, by which time the city hopes that 20 per cent of all local transport will be undertaken by bike.

The initiative forms part of the city's larger goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.

The Cambio network will span 24 different cycle highways. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan City of Milan

"It is a system project that sees cycling as a driving force for development, which integrates environmental protection, safety, economic development and general wellbeing," said the Metropolitan Council of Milan.

"​​The development of cycling leads to the reduction of greenhouse gases, creating green corridors for the protection of biodiversity, making travel safer for all types of cyclists, improving public health and increasing the daily opportunities for exercise and movement."

The Cambio network will consist of four circular lines arranged concentrically around the city centre and intersected by 16 radial lines, while four long-distance greenways will connect the metropolitan area's perimeter.

As well as cycle paths, the network will have dedicated bicycle parking stations, physical and digital wayfinding displays as well as low-impact lighting. This will be charged during the day and light up only in response to movement at night, in order to conserve energy.

Read:

European Commission prioritises cyclists and pedestrians in cities for "first time in history"

Although the project will cost €250 million, the Metropolitan Council of Milan estimates that it will generate savings to the effect of more than €1 billion by reducing congestion and road accidents, as well as improving the health of both people and the environment.

A similar infrastructure overhaul is being undertaken in Paris, where the Plan Velo will see 130 kilometres of cycle paths constructed by 2026 to make the entire city accessible by bike.

As the European Union works to meet its own net-zero goals, the European Commission recently proposed formalising these disparate schemes as part of a bloc-wide policy to fund and prioritise "active mobility" modes such as cycling.

The top photograph is by Pawel Czerwinski via Unsplash.

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Graux & Baeyens adds sunken bike workshop to Ghent townhouse

A sunken bicycle workshop sits at the end of a classical-style walled garden at this extension to a townhouse in Ghent, completed by Belgian practice Graux & Baeyens Architecten.

In addition to the workshop, a stack of three new forms designed by the local practice adds a kitchen and dining space, bathroom and bedroom to the dwelling on the Visserij canal.

House C-DF was extended and renovated by Graux & Baeyens Architecten

Called House C-DF, the townhouse had an existing narrow rear extension that has been extended to fill the width of the plot, creating a "logical flow" and visual connection through the home to the garden.

"While the main residence required few modifications, tabula rasa was created with the old extension of the house," said the practice.

The home was extended to fill the majority of a narrow plot at the rear

"Rather than keep this extension narrow and deep as it originally was, it was decided to have it fanned out over the full width of the outdoor space," Graux & Baeyens Architecten added.

"This intervention immediately improved the enfilade between the front, intermediate and back chambers."

The new extension visibly contrasts with the existing building

The existing extension was enlarged with a structure of prefabricated steel, left exposed internally to create a series of fins that contrast the original structure and to create space for built-in cabinets.

A triangular skylight has been inserted between the old and new extensions to illuminate the space, and wood-framed sliding glass doors lead out onto the paved garden.

Read:

Graux & Baeyens adds bright living areas to Belgian chalet

"The steel fins were deliberately not concealed, but subtly painted in white and milled, creating a poetic play of light in the extension," explained the practice.

"The fins also determine the rhythm of the cabinets that came between them, which, thanks to a subtle interruption, accentuate the depth of the house," it continued.

Terrazzo was used throughout the new extension

Atop the steel frame of this rear extension is a new first-floor bathroom, lined in terrazzo and featuring a full-height window overlooking the city's rooftops that "ensures the residents shower with a view of Ghent," according to the practice.

On the second floor, a new bedroom and a mezzanine play room also features a fully-glazed wall looking out towards the rear of the home, contrasted by a thin dormer window opposite that overlooks the canal.

Large windows frame city views

"The high window offers a beautiful view of historic Ghent but remains surprisingly human-sized thanks to the playful layout," said the practice.

At the end of the walled garden, the sunken bicycle workshop sits in a small volume finished in grey brickwork to match the existing garden walls, which have been fully restored.

The practice used materials that mean the extension could blend in with the existing structure

Externally, the extensions have been unified by the use of pale timber planking and window frames, intended to create a "subtle point of contact between the two constructions."

Other extensions recently completely by Graux & Baeyens include the renovation and extension of a 1960s chalet in Destelbergen, and the modernisation of a bungalow in De Haan.

Photography is by Jeroen Verrecht.

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Filmmaker Nathan Eddy presents Battleship Berlin documentary

Filmmaker Nathan Eddy has teamed up with Dezeen to offer readers a 10-day screening of his documentary about the brutalist Mäusebunker building in Berlin, Germany.

The 40-minute film, titled Battleship Berlin, is available to watch exclusively on Dezeen, above, until 20 January 2022.

Battleship Berlin documents the brutalist Mäusebunker in Berlin

Battleship Berlin sheds light on the threats currently facing the brutalist Mäusebunker, or Mouse Bunker, which was built between 1971 and 1981 for the purpose of animal research.

Designed by German architects Gerd and Magdalena Hänska, the concrete edifice is now vacant and threatened with demolition. However, campaigns to save the building are also in place.

The concrete structure is currently at threat of demolition

Berlin-based Eddy's film summarises these efforts to save the laboratory as well as the opposition to it, as it moves between interviewees with starkly opposing views.

The 10-day Dezeen screening follows its premiere last year on the website of König Galerie, a gallery founded by Johann König who is among those featured in the film.

As an advocate for the building's preservation, König proposes transforming the building into a cultural centre, taking cues from the König Galerie that he created within a brutalist church.

At the other end of the spectrum is Axel Radlack Pries, the dean of the Charité hospital that owns the building, who described it as "a huge concrete monster" and supports its demolition.

Battleship Berlin features interviews and footage of the building

Eddy told Dezeen that the conflicting views over the future of Mäusebunker were an "inevitable" subject for a film.

"In the case of the Mäusebunker and Battleship Berlin, it was inevitable that I was going to make a film about it as soon as it exploded into view in front of me," he told Dezeen.

"The conflict between the two opposing mindsets – preservation or demolition – is always the key storytelling element."

Woven between the interviews is footage of Mäusebunker from different angles, highlighting its famed pyramidal form, projecting blue pipework and triangular windows. Lesser-known details, such as its heavily tiled interiors, are also revealed.

Read:

Brutalist buildings threatened by right-wing politicians as part of "attack on the welfare state"

Eddy hopes the screening of Battleship Berlin will help to "spotlight the cultural value of brutalist architecture" around the world.

Brutalist architecture is characterised by bold monolithic forms cast from exposed concrete. It is one of the 20th century's most controversial architectural styles.

"These are not easy buildings to love, they are downright loathed by many, but they are important and they are unique," Eddy said. "But they are, admittedly, difficult to repurpose."

"Therein lies the challenge, but I like an uphill battle, and a chance to change minds."

Triangular windows are among Mäusebunker's distinctive features

Another film directed by Eddy that celebrates brutalist architecture is The Absent Column, which focuses on the Prentice Women's Hospital by Betrand Goldberg in Chicago.

Eddy recently published a documentary with Dezeen that explores the life and work of Helmut Jahn, the American-German architect who passed away in 2020.

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Exil Collective showcases work by emerging Lebanese designers

Design platform Exil Collective has launched its first collection at Dubai Design Week to spotlight work by both up-and-coming and established Lebanese designers.

Exil Collective's online platform features designs by over 20 independent studios in Lebanon, made by artisans and craftspeople that are also based in the country.

Top image: a head-shaped flower vase is among the Exil Collective products. Above: Youssef Bassil's pieces include a lamp

Among the products exhibited in the Downtown Design section of the 2021 Dubai Design Week were brass ashtrays and lamps by Youssef Bassil, sand-cast aluminium car sculptures by Antoine Guekjian and a globe-shaped, modular night light by Laetitia Jbeily.

"Exil is a bit of an incubator, which is the point because design in Lebanon is usually very expensive and luxury," co-founder Bassil told Dezeen.

"We wanted to break this mould, we wanted to invite designers from students all the way up to very established designers such as Marc Baroud."

A combined vase and mirror is filled with flowers

Each designer was given a spec sheet outlining the parameters for the weight, cost, materials and dimensions of the products so that the designs wouldn't be too expensive to ship when bought from the Exil website.

This resulted in pieces in materials and designs that aren't usually associated with Lebanon, including colourful tufted mats designed by RADCAT.

Handtufted coasters by RADCAT come in various colours

"The rugs, and the coasters that are also made from rugs; tapestry in Lebanon never really looks like that," Bassil said. "I think that was very interesting."

"And the metals and wood, very raw materials, that also shows more what's coming in Lebanon. We've got fantastic sandcast aluminium."

Materials used include sandcast aluminium

The pieces on show as part of Exil Collective were made by local artisans from a number of different fields, many of whom appreciated the challenge of working in new ways with the materials.

"Some of the artisans were surprised, as they're used to making larger pieces of furniture and one-off pieces – they're not used to creating repeated pieces that have to be consistent," Bassil said.

Exil Collective presents work by emerging designers

"Since the economic crisis in Lebanon is very tough, people want to work, and on top of that they were very excited to be working on something different and see the prospect of something that may be produced for the long term," he added.

The criteria set for the designs also created a line for the designers to follow, Bassil suggested.

Read:

Khaled El Mays' Transformers furniture collection evokes crouched robots

"It's somewhat homogenous in its own way – it's very eclectic as well but there's something that connects it," he said of the collection. "It's all very simple and modest and you can feel the materials in the objects."

Exil Collective hopes the project, which was named Architectural Digest Middle East's Emerging Talent of the Year, will become a way for an international audience to discover Lebanese designers.

A modular night lamp can be opened or closed

The thriving design scene in Beirut, Lebanon's capital, was severely affected by a devastating explosion that destroyed large parts of the city in August 2020. More than 60 international architecture firms donated artworks and drawings to help raise funds for rebuilding the city.

Earlier this year, Lebanese designer Khaled El Mays released his Transformers collection, featuring sofas and armchairs partly informed by the Transformers toys and films.

Dubai Design Week took place on 8 to 13 November 2021 in Dubai. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Architects should try to "leave the city more beautiful than when we entered" says Richard Rogers

Following the death of Richard Rogers last month, we're republishing a series of exclusive interviews we filmed with the British architect in 2013. In the first, Rogers spoke about architects' responsibility to society and his work process.

Rogers, who passed away on 18 December aged 88, spoke to Dezeen to coincide with a retrospective of his work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Rogers was one of the world's best-known architects and famous for his pioneering high-tech architecture.

Among his most recognisable work is the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which he designed together with Renzo Piano, and the Lloyd's building in London.

In this interview, filmed at the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners office in Hammersmith, west London, he discussed how architecture is dependant on teamwork and how the final design can change direction during its development.

Read on for a transcript of the interview below:

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"I'm Richard Rogers, an architect. I live nearby here, I cycle every day. And I have been in this office for over 30 years."

"The Royal Academy has asked whether I would like to do an exhibition about my life, not specifically about my work – I've had a touring exhibition for the last 10 years about work – but more about the thinking, and a section through eight years of life."

"We've decided to call the exhibition Inside Out, partly to do with how I often put structure and ducts on the outside of buildings for functional as well as aesthetic reasons."

We have a responsibility to society, we have a social responsibility

"But the real title is Ethos. And the idea is that we have a responsibility to society, we have a social responsibility. And that gives us a role as architects, which is more than just answering how a role may do to the client but also to answer the passer-by and society as a whole."

"On one wall, it will say: 'A place for all people, all ages, all creeds, the rich and the poor.' That was actually the first paragraph that I wrote with Renzo when we entered the Pompidou competition and several hundred people competed for it."

"But it also shows the heart of this exhibition, because that gave us the way of handling the Pompidou not just as a building, but a place, which I'm much more interested in."

"Then on another wall, there will be the Hellenic oath, which is: 'I will leave the city more beautiful than I entered'.

"It's an oath that each citizen made and it's an oath, which I would like to think we are all trying to do and using beauty in a very broad, shall we say, Greek way, democratic and intellectual. So not just purely aesthetic."

Read:

Architects and creatives remember "superstar" architect Richard Rogers

"I work very much with colleagues, with friends. Architecture is about teams. The idea that you suddenly wake up and do a sketch is not true – the only time when I do that, I usually wake up with a hangover the next morning, because it never works. You do it piece by piece."

"When the chairman, the lawyers at the end of doing the building, they say, well, why didn't you tell me what it looked like? I say to them: 'because I didn't know.'"

"It's probably like any work, whether it's a film or book. It has its own inertia, it changes directions. Now obviously you have to do, working with drawings, you can't change it easily."

"And also the scale changes. I mean, the scale in your mind, the scaling models, slowly gets more and more attuned to what you're actually doing and has in itself a reaction to what you're doing."

"Because that's how it works. Because you can't see – any more than you could imagine 500 pages, you can't imagine a building as a complete [building]."

I enjoyed myself much one the last third of my life that I have in my first third

"In this room, there's also a very important moment which is a film. It's a film that tries to say what ethos is. It's based, funnily enough, on my mother's watch, which I always wear which is a Bulova, which has beautiful workings in it, some 50 years old now."

"And it sort of explains my work through it, through that watch. And then it has all the people I've worked with, which are hundreds, and I have had amazing colleagues."

"I was appalling as a student all my life. In fact, I often say I enjoyed myself much one the last third of my life that I have in my first third."

"My first third was hell, as an Italian arriving in 1939 in England; that was a bad move to start with. Everybody said I was stupid. And then I found out that actually, I had learning difficulties."

"So maybe it sort of gave me a lot of problems for the first 30 years, but the last 30 have been fantastic."

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