Press release
The management of Arexpo presented on the 11th of January 2017 the tender for the selection of a partner to develop the site that hosted the 2015 Universal Exposition in Milan, an area of approximately 1 million square metres. The presentation was held at the residence of the Italian Embassy in London, hosted by Ambassador Pasquale Terracciano and attended by selected investors and professionals based in London and working in the field of urban development and contracting.
In the afternoon the executive board of Arexpo met with representatives of the London Legacy Corporation (LLCD), the London-based public company that designed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and developed it after the 2012 Olympics.
Arexpo’s chairman, Giovanni Azzone, and its director general, Giuseppe Bonomi, spoke about the importance of using the legacy of Expo 2015 as a springboard for a project with economic, social and environmental value and that will add value not only to the Lombardy region but to the entire north of Italy, building on the investments in infrastructure that were made for Expo. They also noted that Arexpo will collaborate with the local authorities to obtain all the authorisations necessary for the project.
The selected partner will develop the masterplan for the project, the purpose of which is to foster science, research and innovation. The deadline for bids is 28 February 2017.
The project will be based on the development of a Human Technopole and a partnership with the University of Milan to develop a research and development centre and an innovative university campus serving approximately 18,000 students and researchers in the sciences.
The project will be held in two stages. In the first, the selected partner will draw up the masterplan and business plan for the project. The second will involve designing, implementing and managing the project.
The contract will include the lease of an area of at least 250,000 square metres, on the section of the site that Arexpo is not developing itself. The lease will be valid for 50 years.
London, January 11th 2017
