In a context like Milan, at the crossroads between Europe and the Mediterranean, this intervention represents for me not only an achievement, but also a statement of identity and political positioning.

The threshold the is a habitable place, is not merely a boundary, but an active space of relation, where different identities can meet and come closer. This imagery connects to my interest in urban regeneration, understood not only as the physical transformation of space, but as a relational practice capable of activating connections, inclusion, and participation within communities. From this perspective, the threshold of the historic former tollhouse at Porta Genova in Milan is transformed into a visible and recognizable entrance, able to invite citizens to cross the boundary between public space and shared space.

The architecture of the building belongs to the Neo-Renaissance style; however, the design intervention introduces a dialogue with contemporary Islamic architecture.

The site-specific intervention thus transforms the threshold of Open Casello into a symbolic device of welcome, a boundary to be crossed in order to imagine new forms of community and relationships within urban space. The title “Apside” is inspired by the astronomical term referring to the points of maximum proximity or distance of a celestial body from its orbital center. Imagining Open Casello as a center of gravity, the path of young people can be seen as an orbit developing around it, a continuous movement that accompanies their personal and professional growth. This relationship of proximity and attraction is what we can define as an “apsis”: the point at which the strongest connection between the “Casellanti” and this multicultural space is expressed.