Milan, November 7th 2023 – The inauguration of OFF CAMPUS Nolo +, an expansion of the university space at the Municipal Market of Viale Monza, took place this morning in the presence of and the Rector of Politecnico Donatella Sciuto and Gaia Romani, Councilor for Civic and General Services of the Municipality of Milan. Also in attendance were Alessandro Perego, Vice-Rector for Sustainable Development and Impact at Politecnico, Alessandro Deserti, Director of the Design Department, Davide Fassi, Associate Professor of Design Department and coordinator of the Polimi DESIS Lab, Simone Locatelli, President of the Municipality of Milan, and Nino Aratari of the Ciresola Parents' Association.

OFF CAMPUS Nolo, located at number 54, Viale Monza, is the result of the collaboration between the Municipality of Milan and the University. Over three years of operation, this initiative has strengthened Politecnico's presence in the city of Milan and the concept of a university attentive to social challenges, closely connected to the territories and communities. The project was recently honored with the Seoul Design Award 2023 for Sustainable Life, an international design award that celebrates designers or groups who have tackled complex issues of everyday life through innovative projects.

The expansion of Off Campus Nolo addresses the need to provide adequate space to accommodate a larger number of students, interns, and thesis students, in support of various ongoing research and didactics projects.

The activities of OFF CAMPUS Nolo + will extend to different areas, including food recovery, combating poverty, and establishing networks of solidarity in the neighborhood, introducing new project resources in the Market and reinforcing existing collaborations.

In particular, the "SOSpesa" project, active since November 2020, will be consolidated. This initiative weekly donates 20 reduced-price grocery packages of fresh products to vulnerable individuals in the neighborhood, purchased within the Municipal Market.

Planned courses include "Designing in a Multispecies World" from the School of Design, open to international students, and a series of seminars linked to "Il Vocabolario di Quartiere". The latter project has engaged hundreds of residents in constructing shared meanings related to everyday life.

OFF CAMPUS Nolo + also represents an opportunity to expand the programming of cultural and scientific events and activities aimed at the neighborhood. These are open to the entire city's public, thanks to the recent redevelopment of the market's outdoor space in spring 2023, marked by the inauguration of "OUT. Il cortile sociale" in the former waste storage area, now transformed into a public square.