Asim Hanif’s Porta Romana transit masterplan is a Part II urban design thesis about movement, district structure and how architecture can support a more connected piece of Milan.
The project is useful because transit-oriented development only works when transport, public space, density and everyday routes are thought about together.
Project overview
Asim graduated with a First Class from Manchester School of Architecture and had one year of Part I experience at IBI Group UK when this project was shared.
His final design thesis focuses on Porta Romana, a southern district of Milan. The work was modelled in Revit and SketchUp, then visualised in Photoshop.
What the masterplan is testing
- How movement through a district can shape the architecture around it.
- How a masterplan can connect transport, public space and new development.
- How a Part II project can move between city-scale thinking and architectural detail.
- How digital modelling and visualisation can make an urban strategy easier to read.
- How a portfolio can show both design ambition and technical control.
How to read it as a Part II portfolio project
For Part II candidates, the lesson is not only the subject matter. It is the clarity of the project hierarchy. A masterplan needs a reader to understand the site issue, the movement strategy, the proposed urban structure and the architectural evidence without needing a long verbal explanation.
Showcase a student masterplan
Architecture Social can feature student work where an urban design idea is explained clearly enough for tutors, practices and peers to understand.
- Name the site and the urban problem.
- Explain the movement strategy in plain language.
- Show how the masterplan becomes architecture.
- Include drawings that prove scale, routes and public value.
Portfolio lesson
A transit-oriented project can become abstract quickly. The strongest version shows the public route first, then the buildings, thresholds, streets and spaces that make the route useful.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that masterplan projects need to work at two speeds. The big idea should be obvious, but the reader also needs enough architectural evidence to trust that the candidate can develop it.
Next step
Explore more student projects, read the portfolio guide, browse Part II Architectural Assistant jobs, or submit a student masterplan.
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