Fifty Oaks on a 7-by-7 Grid Frame Ghisellini Architetti's Piazza

By Amara Osei

Fifty oak trees in a 7-by-7 grid now frame Public Square Madre Francesca Cabrini, a redesigned piazza by Ghisellini Architetti in a small town in the lower Lodi area of Italy. The project, called FOREST JUMP, reinterprets the open clearings of the region's former lowland forests as a defined public space.

Three planted edges and the existing town hall enclose the square. That's the whole trick, and it's an old one: build the room, then furnish it.

What does the piazza actually consist of?

A continuous surface of Italian porphyry runs north to south, aligned with the town hall's facade and volume. The fifty oaks, representing three species, provide shade and form sheltered green spaces around the square.

Paths weave through flowers, lawns, shrubs and shade-tolerant undergrowth. The fittings are modest and specific: wooden benches, drinking fountains, trash bins and bike racks. Concrete monoliths separate pedestrians from vehicles.

Think of it as a clearing with plumbing. The region's lowland forests once did the shading for free; here, fifty trees and an irrigation system pick up the job.

How does the square handle rain and heat?

The landscape and paving integrate rainwater management and climate-responsive measures, according to Ghisellini Architetti. Permeable surfaces and lawns help replenish groundwater and reduce summer heat.

The porphyry paving directs rainfall to an underground storage system. The collected water irrigates the trees, lawns and undergrowth, and excess water is released gradually into the drainage network during heavy rainfall.

A dual-level lighting system, combining multi-projector poles with ground-level fixtures, keeps the square usable after dark.

It's a piazza that waters itself, mostly. As Italian towns face hotter summers, that plumbing may prove as durable a legacy as the grid of oaks — which, unlike the paving, will take decades to reach the forest the project's name implies.

Project information

• Name: FOREST JUMP | Public Square 'Madre Francesca Cabrini'
• Architect: Ghisellini Architetti
• Location: Public Square Madre Francesca Cabrini, Lodi, Italy
• Photographer: Aldo Amoretti