Illuminating historical contexts, discovering new urban districts, making contacts with local landscape architecture firms: in May 2024, landscape architecture students from TH Ostwestfalen-Lippe went on an excursion to Milan. Melanie Müller-Boscaro, the tour guide on site in Italy, recaps the excursion program for G+L and presents the work of the Milanese landscape architecture firm Parcnouveau, which the students visited.
Illuminating historical contexts, discovering new urban districts, making contacts with local landscape architecture firms: in May 2024, landscape architecture students from TH Ostwestfalen-Lippe went on an excursion to Milan. Melanie Müller-Boscaro, the tour guide on site in Italy, recaps the excursion program for G+L and presents the work of the Milanese landscape architecture firm Parcnouveau, which the students visited.
Milan in May – that’s what Professor Hendrik Laue thought and initiated a field trip with 35 students from the Landscape Architecture, Landscape Construction and Open Space Planning course at the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences. Together with Melanie Müller-Boscaro, a German landscape architect and local tour guide in Italy, they planned a varied excursion to northern Italy from 8 to 14 May: a guided tour of the capital of Lombardy shed light on the historical context of Milan’s urban development. The students discovered historical parks such as Parco Sempione, projects from the 1990s, including Parco Portello, and new urban districts such as Porta Garibaldi and City Life. Maintenance costs, implementation details, use of plants and design strategies were also discussed in the BAM (Biblioteca degli Alberi – Tree Library) urban park with a view of the Bosco Verticale high-rise forest and in the City Life park beneath the high-rise buildings by Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind.
During a visit to the landscape architecture firm LANDsrl, the group learned interesting facts about Milan’s Raggi Verdi (Green Rays) urban development strategy. Visits to the Riva Piante tree nursery and the Riva Giardini landscaping company in the north of Milan enriched the excursion with practical examples. The students explored the botanical gardens as a secondary project of Expo 2015 in Milan and the medieval city center “Città Alta” in Bergamo, 50 kilometers away.
The excursion kicked off at the premises of the Milan-based landscape architecture firm Parcnouveau, which is known for its innovative design approach. Here, the students were given an insight into the professional life of landscape architects. Parcnouveau combines a deep understanding of nature with a keen interest in community experiences. Margherita Brianza founded the office in 2008; she has been supported by Luca Manzocchi since 2012 and Carolina Pelosato since 2022. Today, the office has a team of 20 experts and an international portfolio. The projects presented showed that the various project phases are handled with high professional standards and with great care and dedication. The range of services covers all aspects of landscape architecture, from large-scale strategic planning and urban spaces such as parks and squares to open spaces around commercial buildings, logistics centers, accommodation and hospitals.
Parcnouveau creates an authentic link between landscape and architecture. Each project is based on their needs and habits and incorporates the culture and characteristics of a place. For Parcnouveau, landscape design means mastering the characteristics of the place, the dynamics of life and the relationships that surround the planning areas. The real and social context becomes a decisive source of inspiration for each project and enables surprising solutions to be developed time and again. Against the backdrop of climatic and social change, the firm is committed to rethinking the landscape in order to meet current environmental planning requirements and meet future challenges.
Parcnouveau deals with complex ecosystem issues: its commitment ranges from researching advanced cultivation methods and avoiding the use of pesticides to managing water stress without conventional irrigation systems and experimenting with plant varieties that are adapted to extreme climatic conditions.
In recent years, the company has realized numerous urban regeneration projects, from the large City Life Park in Milan to the redevelopment of Tel Aviv’s port district. Recent projects include the international competitions won in Rome, for example for the new Science Museum, which was built in the former barracks in Via Guido Reni, and the master plan for the redevelopment of the former trade fair grounds.
In collaboration with major architectural firms, the office has designed the landscapes for the headquarters of Moncler and the Italian holding OTB Group in Milan and Enel in Rome. The attention to detail and functionality is evident in the hotel industry projects, including the Bvlgari Hotel in Rome, the Mandarin Oriental in Rome, Tel Aviv and Moscow, as well as future projects for the Park Hyatt in Rome and the Palazzo Parma.
By gaining an insight into interesting projects, the students gained a wide range of inspiration and the opportunity to establish professional and cultural contacts. At the end of the week in northern Italy, there are many photos, inspirations and ideas for the design work at home and some contacts for possible internships and job offers.
The key challenge for the landscape project for the Bvlgari Hotel in Rome was to harmonize with the hotel’s existing rationalist architecture, emphasizing its historical significance while creating new interactions with its elements.
At the heart of Parcnouveau’s project was the client’s vision to bring the essence of Roman nature back into the building’s outdoor spaces. The green spaces are designed to offer an intense experience, a journey of the senses, rich in vibrant colors and scents, inspired by the Bvlgari jewels. To this end, plants with flowers in shapes and colors reminiscent of the jewels and shades of gold, bronze and copper have been selected.
The landscape project extends over the various levels of the building, from the portico on the first floor to the courtyards and terraces and the interior spaces.
The roof terrace emphasizes the eclecticism and richness of the greenery, while at the same time offering a breathtaking view of Rome.
When selecting the species, mainly Mediterranean plants are preferred, including sage, thyme and rosemary. The designers added some tropical accents, such as the Dioon spinulosum and Yucca elephantipes palms or the Indian flower reed and Japanese fiber banana.
Pergolas colonized by climbing plants such as the evergreen climbing hydrangea Hydrangea seemani provide shade and comfort. The groups of vases and tubs with small trees and Mediterranean vegetation (Hibiscus coccineus, Cretan black nettle and many others) enclose the living spaces and tables, creating places of remarkable visual identity.
The roof terrace is a magical place, a garden that floats above the city of Rome. The vegetation extends along the entire perimeter in pots and tubs of different sizes, offering an iconic and surprising view of the city.
Client: Bvlgari Spa
Design: Architect ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel
Landscape architecture: Parcnouveau
Status: started in 2019, completion in 2023
Size: 3,100 square meters
Read more: Every two years, the state of Berlin awards the Lenné Prize as an ideas competition for young talent in the disciplines of garden and landscape architecture, open space planning and urban development. Read here who was awarded in 2024 .
