Carlo Ratti designs restaurant under a grass roof for Mutti in Parma

Architect Carlo Ratti, known for his tech-driven designs and collaboration with the food industry at Expo 2015, is developing a restaurant for Mutti, the Italian tomato preserve company, in Montechiarugolo, Parma. The project is part of a larger masterplan that began with a 2016 international competition win by CRA (Carlo Ratti Associati) to transform a 250,000-square-meter site into a visitor center with a biodiversity park. The first completed phase, The Greenary (a blend of green and granary), is a seven-terraced residential building designed with Italo Rota, centered around a 60-year-old ficus tree named Alma, inspired by Adolf Loos's raumplan. Now, a dining room open to the public is set for completion by 2023, featuring a green roof made from excavated soil, large glass walls, and a glass cube kitchen visible from outside. The interior will use resin from Mutti's tomato waste for sustainability. Landscape architect Paolo Pejrone is designing the garden. The restaurant will serve both workers and external visitors, with a Michelin-starred team. Ratti continues his exploration of integrating natural and artificial, as seen at the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.