APCOM

Forty years of Milanese history collapsing in a few seconds. This happened last Sunday, around 10 a.m., when the pavilion number 20 (the 'Palazzo Meccanica') of the former exhibition pole was knocked down to make room for 'CityLife'. The new neighbourhood will be ready by 2014, a couple of months before the beginning of the Expo. It was the biggest implosion carried out in a single shot both in Italy and, where urban environment is concerned, in Europe as well.

The 230,000 cubic-metre building was blasted away by using a ton of blasting gelatine (90% nitroglycerin), which was applied in 500 holes and distributed in 38-millimetre cartridges. All the previous records have been beaten. In 2006 the 'Punta Perotti' estate complex on Bari's seafront was also demolished with a ton of explosive, but divided into three separate discharges. A few weeks ago, the 'Blue residence' of San Giuliano Milanese (60,000 cubic-metres) was wiped out by 230 kilos of micro-discharges.

After the pavilion's blasting, which was watched both by technicians and simple onlookers, 90% of the former pole's surface has now been razed to the ground. The building's ruins will soon be replaced by CityLife, a multifunctional area including residences for 3,500 inhabitants, offices, a park, the contemporary art museum and an underground stop. Above all, the neighbourhood will host the three skyscrapers planned by renowned architects Libeskind, Isozaki and Hadid that many branded as 'ugly'.

In particular, the project of Libeskind's tower has been slightly modified. The building's outline will be a bit less 'crooked' than expected and a bit higher. Besides, it won't house only office premises, but also hotel and residential accommodations. In the meantime, hundreds of citizens (who gathered through committees) are still against the plan. The petitions they presented were considered by the Public Prosecutor's office of Milano, which opened a file to investigate on the possible urban and environmental violations.