Tender Launched for the Construction of the Human Technopole South Building

New spaces for an increasingly interdisciplinary, technology-driven and open research model. Completion scheduled by 2030.

Fondazione Human Technopole has approved the detailed design for the South Building, launching the tender procedure for the award of the construction works for the building that will complete the Campus within MIND – Milano Innovation District.

Planned since the Foundation was established, the project was designed to support the national mission of the research institute, which was founded in 2019 and opened its first laboratories in 2022 and the National Facilities in 2024: to support research capable of turning scientific discoveries into practical applications for health. Understanding the mechanisms underlying disease and translating this knowledge into new tools for diagnosis, prevention and treatment now requires the integration of different disciplines, advanced technologies and extensive data analysis capabilities. The South Building has been designed to bring these components together and foster interaction among them.

An investment in Italian research

The new building will house the permanent laboratories for research conducted at Human Technopole, aimed at improving the diagnosis and prevention of cardiometabolic, oncological and neurodegenerative diseases and developing new therapies for their treatment.

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A central function of the South Building, the future headquarters of the Campus, will also be to enable the expansion of the National Facilities, the infrastructure through which HT provides researchers across Italy with access to advanced technologies and specialist expertise. The new spaces will allow the Facilities progressively to reach their planned scale, strengthening support for research at universities, hospitals and national research organisations.

The layout of the spaces will encourage daily exchange among researchers and professionals with different areas of expertise, making physical proximity a tool for scientific collaboration. The same ecosystem will also host advanced training and technology transfer activities to support the valorisation of scientific results and their development towards potential applications.

The adjacent Technology Hub will house digital and computational technologies, enhancing the computing capacity, data infrastructure and artificial intelligence systems required for research that is increasingly driven by clinical and health data.

State-of-the-art spaces, sustainability and transparency

Designed by the Milan-based architecture firm Piuarch, as part of a consortium with other designers and selected through a tender procedure, the project provides for approximately 56,000 square metres of total gross floor area and works with a tender base value of approximately €235 million, including safety costs and excluding VAT.

The building is intended to house highly technological laboratories and scientific infrastructure, with specific requirements for safety, stable environmental conditions and operational continuity.

Latest-generation solutions will be integrated to reduce energy and water consumption, use renewable sources and limit environmental impact, including a photovoltaic system with a capacity of more than 400 kWp. The project includes approximately 5,000 m² of green space, comprising gardens, green roofs and indoor areas, as well as the planting of more than 190 trees. The aim is to achieve the highest environmental sustainability standards, including LEED Gold certification.

For the delivery of the project, Human Technopole has signed a Legality Protocol with the Prefecture of Milan to ensure preventive and continuous oversight of the entire procurement supply chain, integrating information traceability, anti-mafia checks and construction-site monitoring. Approval of the detailed design concludes the technical and authorisation process for the project, which included the Services Conference to obtain the opinions of the relevant authorities, as well as design checks and validation for the purposes of the related procurement procedure.

The contract is expected to be awarded in spring 2027, with construction activities beginning later that year. Completion of the works is scheduled for 2030.

For management of the tender procedure, Fondazione Human Technopole is supported by Principia, which has been entrusted with auxiliary contracting activities relating both to the design phase and to the procedure for awarding the works.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Piuarch