It is unfair perhaps to pick on the one daft thing that Rem Koolhaas says at the launch of a new building, given that he says many perceptive things, but to suggest that this complex has been designed to either prevent or mediate against gentrification is rather ridiculous. Gentrification is an economic process. Indeed the Fondazione Prada has a key role in the Largo Isarco area. It bought the distillery and areas to the east and south in the 1990s. The luxury flats to the south of the complex were built on land sold to developers by Prada when they needed to raise capital following a dip in fortunes following the terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001. The compound is as open as it can be however. The tower at the north-west corner (under construction) provides a second entrance with a full duplication of ticketing and amenities, as well as providing rooftop restaurant. Rising above the railway tracks it will be an important signpost to the rest of the city of the building’s existence as well as a home for displaying the Fondazione Prada collection.