PIUARCH's Rooftop Garden: A Productive Green Oasis in Milan

Milan-based architecture firm PIUARCH transformed its office rooftop at Via Palermo 1 in the Brera district into a productive vegetable garden and recreational space. Launched in 2015, the project replaced a standard bitumen roof with a modular system that can be replicated on any flat surface. The garden grows vegetables tended by all studio members, which are used in shared colleague lunches. The space serves multiple purposes: meetings, work breaks, and biodynamic cultivation, functioning as an outdoor extension of the interior. The initiative was featured by Claudia Zanfi in her series "Giardini Domestici" for Artribune. PIUARCH was founded in 1996 by Francesco Fresa, Germán Fuenmayor, Gino Garbellini, and Monica Tricario, with a mission to improve the city and quality of life through architecture.