milan’s 2026 winter olympic makeover
As Milan prepares to host the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the city is undergoing a transformative moment. A lineup of high-profile projects is reshaping the city’s skyline, driven by renowned firms such as Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), Kengo Kuma & Associates, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and Stefano Boeri Architetti. Notable projects include SOM’s Olympic Village, which integrates green public spaces with the historic Porta Romana Railway Yard, and David Chipperfield‘s elliptical Arena Santa Giulia, a modern amphitheater set to host major Olympic events. BIG’s CityWave will introduce Europe’s largest urban solar canopy, while Kengo Kuma’s biophilic Welcome project will bring biophilic workspaces to the Rizzoli district.
Alongside these marquee projects, the city is seeing a number of smaller yet significant changes ahead of 2026. The recent opening of the M4 Metro promises to enhance urban mobility, while the city’s controversial decision to replace parts of its bumpy, uneven cobblestone streets with smoother, pedestrian-friendly surfaces should marks a more accessible shift in infrastructure. A major public policy change includes a new outdoor smoking ban within ten meters (33 feet) of others. This new architecture and infrastructure reflects efforts to improve the quality of life for both residents and visitors, and improve the fabric of Milan as it prepares to take center stage for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
▲ CityLife地区
CityLife district | image by Beauty and the Bit
OLYMPIC VILLAGE, skidmore owings & merrill (SOM)
In July 2021, SOM was announced the winner of an international competition to design the Athletes’ Village for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Forming part of a larger masterplan to revitalize Porta Romana Railway Yard in Milan, the winning scheme prioritizes sustainable building strategies and establishing a new urban community that will long outlast the olympic games.
The project by Skidmore Owings & Merill (SOM) comprises public green spaces, two renovated historic structures and six new residential buildings that will house athletes during the Olympics. Once the games are over, the spaces will be converted and reused. The athletes’ accommodation will be used for student housing, the park and railway-side buildings will become affordable housing, and the Olympic Village Plaza will turn into a neighborhood square with social functions like shops and cafés. There will also be outdoor space for farmers’ markets and community events. The Olympic Village is expected to be complete by July 2025.
arena santa giulia, DAVID CHIPPERFIELD
Arup and David Chipperfield‘s Berlin office are developing a stadium in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with an elliptical shape inspired by amphitheaters. The sports and cultural venue will form the centerpiece of Milan‘s new Santa Giulia neighborhood in the southeast of the city. Named Arena Santa Giulia, the stadium will have a 16,000-person capacity and is set to be complete by 2025.
David Chipperfield Architects looked to the archetype of the amphitheater for the elliptical shape of the building but added metallic materials and dynamic forms for a modern reinterpretation. The architecture is articulated by three ‘floating’ rings separated by glass bands. During the day, these rings will be characterized by shimmering aluminum tubes while LED strips will light the building up at night.
2021年8月份,国际建筑与室内设计事务所ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel公布了灯塔大厦的设计方案,这座建筑将服务于意大利A2A公司,成为该公司的米兰总部大楼,建筑师重新构思了办公空间,适应使用者不断变化的需求。这座144米高的办公塔楼将为米兰共生商务区注入活力,新增6,320平方米绿色公共空间。塔内灵活开放的空间可容纳1,500人,并环绕一座绿色庭院。垂直结构上,塔楼通过空中花园与屋顶观景台连接两个办公区域,中部设计有空中花园,而顶部则为观景平台,建筑师通过该项目整合了诸如休息区及会议室等多种功能空间,满足未来的使用需求。
lighthouse tower, ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
International architecture and interior design practice ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel unveiled the design for this Torre Faro, or Lighthouse, in August 2021. Set to house the new Milan headquarters of Italian company A2A, the project reimagines the company’s office spaces as capable of adapting to people’s ever-changing needs at work. The 144-meter-high office tower will revive the local urban fabric of the Symbiosis business district with 6,320 square meters of new green public spaces.
The new tower will accommodate 1,500 people in spaces that are flexible, open, and are complemented by a green courtyard. Vertically, the tower is centrally pided into two sets of office floors framed by the spacious entrance hall on the first floor, the sky garden in the middle, and a belvedere on top. With the project, the architects address future professional needs by integrating flexible spaces — including co-working lounges and meeting rooms — that can be reconfigured for multiple uses.
welcome, Kengo Kuma & Associates
A biophilic development designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates broke ground in March 2021. Titled ‘Welcome’, the mixed-use project is located in Milan‘s former Rizzoli district, previously an abandoned industrial area. Anchored around a newly established public piazza, the project seeks to act as a catalyst to revive the entire area — uniting people and nature for a better quality of life and work. Once complete, KKAA‘s project will include offices, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and auditoriums, as well as restaurants and lounges, shops, a supermarket, a wellness area, and places for temporary exhibitions.
citywave, bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Bjarke Ingels Group begun construction on its sweeping CityWave building in Septmeber 2021 as part of the existing CityLife District in Milan. The project will host a new office space for the ever-evolving Italian city, and will become an iconic element of the area’s regeneration efforts, with its gestural and high-tech roof structure. The project will mark the fourth building of the site, which already contains towers by Zaha Hadid Architects, Daniel Libeskind, and Arata Isozaki. Here, the team aims to introduce an improved quality of life along with sustainable building.
With its monumental roof, the team at Bjarke Ingels Group notes that it will bring what will likely be the largest urban integrated solar canopy in Europe — estimated to produce an annual 1,200-megawatt hours of power. Upon its completion, CityWave will seek to represent the workplace of future.
Pirelli 39 | Diller Scofidio + Renfro与stefano boeri architetti
米兰Porta Nuova Gioia核心地块更新项目由DS+R与SBA组成的联合团队共同设计。整个项目被计划命名为Pirelli 39,包含对原办公楼的改造、新建一栋1,700平方米的住宅楼,以及连接两栋建筑的“空中廊桥”。这座廊桥将作为活动与展览枢纽,同时被设计成为一座空中花园,兼具沉浸式教育与实验功能。
Pirelli 39, diller scofidio + renfro and stefano boeri architetti
The collaborative team of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) and Stefano Boeri Architetti (SBA) has been chosen to regenerate a site at the center of Milan’s Porta Nuova Gioia district. The mixed-use project — referred to as ‘Pirelli 39’ — involves the renovation of the site’s existing ‘Pirellino’ office tower, and the construction of a new residential high-rise that will include 1,700 square meters of integrated vegetation. Finally, a bridge connecting the two structures will serve as a hub for events, shows, and exhibitions. This bridge will also house a bioperse greenhouse that will offer immersive, educational experiences as a dedicated laboratory.
It is expected that the tower by DS+R and SBA will absorb fourteen tons of CO2 and produce nine tons of oxygen per year — comparable to a 10,000 square meter forest. Thanks to 2,770 square meters of photovoltaic panels, the tower will be able to produce 65% of its energy needs, while the use of structural wood will decrease its carbon footprint.
▲ Pirelli 39大楼、Diller Scofidio + Renfro & Stefano Boeri Architetti事务所、米兰新门乔亚区
Pirelli 39, Diller Scofidio + Renfro & Stefano Boeri Architetti, Porta Nuova Gioia district | rendering by Aether Images
PADEL PAVILION, FABIO NOVEMBRE
Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Fabio Novembre has designed the new Padel Pavilion, an innovative sports center located in Milan’s CityLife district’s park. The building aligns visually with the existing architecture, especially with the gentle curves of Bjarke Ingels Group’s CityWave project, together forming a sort of gateway from the northeast. The structure is characterized by a 17-meter curved overhang, inviting park visitors toward the entrance.
The pavilion by Fabio Novembre Studio will stand twelve meters tall and span 2,800 square meters, housing seven padel courts. Inside, there will be a refreshment area and a raised multifunctional space offering a prime view of the sports activities.