Olympic Village for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics | SOM - Skidmore Owings & Merrill

Project Narrative
September 2025

The Porta Romana Olympic Village leverages a rare opportunity—the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics—to create a sustainable, intergenerational, and green community in the heart of Milan’s dynamic Porta Romana district. Designed, first and foremost, to become an integral part of Milan’s urban fabric, the village encompasses a set of public green spaces, the transformation of two historic structures, and six new residential buildings that will serve Olympic athletes in the short term, and subsequently transition into much-needed housing for students and families. Ultimately, the village will become a vibrant, self-sustaining neighborhood built around principles of social equity, environmental commitment, wellness, inclusivity, and resilience.

Located on the site of a former rail yard, the Olympic Village takes architectural inspiration from the site’s industrial history, as well as the building typologies of Milan. The site plan adopts the rhythm of the surrounding streetscape, creating a porous urban block with a variety of new public pathways and connections to additional components of the Porta Romana Railway Area Master Plan. The preserved historic structures and ground floor of the residential buildings will house a variety of cultural and economic anchors that serve both residents and visitors, enhancing the tapestry of ground floor experiences that define the urban landscape of Milan.

The new buildings reinterpret the neighborhood’s familiar linear bar typology with a fresh precision, by pairing it with a material palette that is at once contextual and resolutely contemporary. Bookending the campus, communal terraces act as connective bridges—both physically and socially—to establish a new form of shared infrastructure, one rooted as much in human connection as in environmental performance. Shaded by vertical plantings, these terraces will become signature gathering spaces and outdoor study rooms for students, lending the complex a sense of energy and life on every level. The terraces will help buffer the private residential units from the busy streets and public spaces at the edges of the site. Integration of greenery for the outdoor areas is key to the neighborhood’s climate resilience, as well as for the comfort, health and wellbeing of the occupants and visitors.

At the base of the new buildings, flexible podiums accommodate programs that evolve with the usage of the village—just as historic palazzos throughout Italy have provided users with the flexibility to adapt to new uses over time. The porous ground floor with connected alleyways and urban pockets encourages exploration and experiences that create unexpected moments. During the Olympics, these spaces will house recreational and support areas for the athletes. After the games, they will transform into student amenities and public programs, curated as three ‘districts’ forming anchors at the corners of the site: The Scene for media and culture events; The Social where coworking and flexible social spaces will live; and Live Well for fitness and wellness.

The historic structures, the Squadra Rialzo Building and Basilico Building, are located adjacent to Via Giovanni Lorenzini on the southwestern corner of the site. Both buildings were built for industrial uses and similarly lend themselves to flexible, public programs. Together they form a gateway to the complex and establish the importance of the area’s history. The exterior envelope and roofs of both buildings will be fully restored, and their interior structures of masonry, wood, and iron will be exposed, illustrating the neighborhood’s transformation from industrial center to contemporary urban district. Dramatic yet respectful interventions within the buildings’ interiors, like new timber roofs, mechanical systems, infrastructure for restaurant and community space, and art pieces, may also be undertaken.

The entire Olympic Village is designed according to the principles of a smart and sustainable city, creating a complex that is at once connected and self-sufficient. The village’s mechanical systems will tie in to the precinct’s loops, yet passive cooling strategies, solar panels, and rooftop gardens—among other features—will ensure that the complex avoids energy waste and generates much of what it consumes on site. In addition, the new buildings maximize the use of sustainable materials, from the mass timber structure of the residential buildings to low-embodied carbon facade materials.

Sustainability at Olympic Village
At an urban scale, Olympic Village is an endeavor to reoccupy pockets of the city whose functions have fallen out of use, giving them new life—the exemplification of sustainability through urban regeneration. The design embraces a core concept: build less, build efficiently, design with flexibility. Two existing industrial buildings are preserved and restored, while a series of efficiently planned modular linear structures are introduced. These echo the historic architecture of the surrounding area in their form, materials, and human scale. With elements that recall Milan’s industrial heritage and its classic rationalist housing, the new buildings are interlinked with courtyards and shaded alleyways that invite residents and visitors to linger outdoors.

One of the most exciting aspects of this project is the opportunity to create a development that extends far beyond the Olympics, to become a lasting part of the city’s fabric. SOM envisioned a zero-waste conversion of athletes’ residences into student housing. Within months of the closing ceremony, students will begin moving in for the Fall 2026 term. Designed with gyms, outdoor sports facilities, garden terraces, and exterior stairs, the buildings encourage active lifestyles and a strong connection to the outdoors.

Sustainability was considered at every stage—from site and landscape design, to material selection, to construction methods. The new residences feature prefabricated façade panels, which accelerate construction and reduce waste. These panels are fabricated with a mass timber substrate, lowering the carbon impact of construction.

Energy and water systems were equally important. Rooftops are topped with photovoltaic panels, generating renewable power for the development. The buildings are integrated into a water exchange loop serving the broader Porta Romana plan. Shading strategies and extensive green spaces, with porous surfaces to capture rainwater, further contribute to ecological resilience in a changing climate.

Material selections emphasize both economy and durability. Stucco is applied directly onto plywood to achieve subtle texture and nuanced shadow while significantly reducing material quantities. Locally sourced stone and exposed concrete echo the district’s industrial heritage while minimizing waste and environmental impact.

We see cities as bastions of sustainability, where thoughtful construction and mindful use of materials can foster a positive evolution of the urban landscape. More than an architectural project, the Olympic Village is an investment in social and ecological resilience—providing affordable housing, encouraging walkability, and integrating nature to nurture a more connected and resilient future. 

***

For the design of the Olympic Village, an architecture competition was launched to which 27 groups made up of 71 studios of nine different nationalities were invited. The design of the Olympic Village area was entrusted to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill - SOM: the studio that had ranked second in the competition for the masterplan. The project was praised for its dialogue with and openness towards the rest of the masterplan and the neighboring parts of the city. The Olympic Village, compared to the initial proposal of the masterplan, will be built with lower and harmoniously spread buildings, integrated with amenities to create a city district for multiple generations, with pedestrian spaces and squares that are also well connected to the new spaces under development in the areas adjacent to the railway yard.

The Olympic Village - which will be developed by COIMA SGR, Covivio and Prada Holding - represents the first step in the great urban regeneration project of Scalo Porta Romana.

The design of the Olympic Village proceeds in parallel with that of the Scalo Porta Romana masterplan. The tight deadlines of the industrial development program for the redevelopment of the Porta Romana railway yard follow the timetable imposed by the planning of the Winter Olympics, which foresee the delivery of the Village in July 2025.

Positioned in the southwest quadrant of the Yard, for continuity with the existing functions in the area and to create balance across the district, the land area of 47,000 square meters will host the athletes' village of the 2026 Winter Olympics which, at the end of the competition, will be converted by COIMA SGR into student housing equipped with all the necessary services for students, in addition to amenities for the public as requested by the Milano Cortina Foundation.

Thanks to the public/private collaboration between the proponents and the Milano-Cortina Foundation, with the Municipality of Milan and the Lombardy Region, the Olympic Village will be developed by combining the needs of use during and after the competition, creating a village with zero environmental impact according to the NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) requirements. The urban regeneration project of the village, and of the railway yard, adopts an "outcome investing" approach, with the aim of being able to contribute to a positive social impact in the community.

The project was studied right from the start in its post-Olympics configuration, allowing the physical spaces and services designed for athletes to flow into the future district, minimizing reconversion works and environmental impacts. The materials used for the Olympic Village will be chosen for their sustainability characteristics (recyclability, reuse, environmental friendliness). All buildings will be LEED® certified, the building structures will be permanent and the temporary ones will be reusable.

More than 30% of the energy will be produced thanks to the installation of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems; rainwater will be collected and reused, with a reduction in the use of drinking water by over 50% and a CO2 reduction of 40% for heating and cooling.

The Olympic Village’s urban structure, designed with its ultimate transformation in mind, is organized into three functional sectors.

1. The residential area and some communal facilities will eventually become student accommodation and follow criteria of simplicity of adaptation between the Olympic phase and their ultimate use. The design reflects the small industrial and artisan complexes typical of this part of the city, articulated in different buildings. The ground floor retains a predominantly public role, providing access to day-to-day services, first for the athletes and then for the students and citizens.

2. The central part of the facility is intended for the services and amenities of the Olympic phase (reception services, catering, transport hub, etc.), which will subsequently be converted into community amenities. The existing industrial buildings will also be preserved and integrated as part of this area, reflecting the location’s past while creating an attractive urban environment for meeting, exchanging and creating communities.

3. The last sector is the one that both in the Olympic phase and in its final form has the most public role: the Olympic square. This space can be permanently configured immediately, with access routes to the park and will be the only area of the Olympic Village open to the public during the event to then be able to host an exhibition space. The pedestrian paths make up a structural part of the system, along with planting and outdoor public spaces.

The Village after the Olympics

With the goal of converting from an Olympic function to a student residence function in just four months, the Olympic Village will be transformed into a sustainable urban experimentation laboratory focused on people, community, integration and resilience; it will be a vibrant ecosystem of student housing, residences, co-working, community amenities and public spaces; it will be a place of exchange and debate in the city: it will attract young people, entrepreneurs and micro-companies, who will be able to socialize, experiment and share.

The area will be managed through a digital platform capable of monitoring the performance of buildings and involving the community, with the provision of the digital twin.

Greenhouses and vegetable gardens are planned for the production of food within the area, allowing the creation of the first village for students with zero-kilometer products. The athletes' homes will be reused for their new student housing destination (about 1,000 beds) and can also be used by others outside the academic period; the park and railway side buildings in the area of the Olympic square will be used for affordable housing; the Olympic Village Plaza will be the new square of the neighborhood, which will overlook the shops and establishments planned at street level; this will also be where farmers' markets and events can take place.

The center will be developed with consideration of the surrounding fabric: the permeability between open and public spaces will allow the creation of a community that will be able to take advantage of the new areas integrated into the existing ones; the mixed-use nature and ancillary services will bring the neighborhood to life; recreational and cultural programs – as well as collaborations with local associations and companies – will enable the activation of communities and the creation of a new centrality for Milan, also in public-private partnership.

The area of the Porta Romana railway yard is part of the railway stations program agreement signed by Ferrovie dello Stato, the Municipality of Milan and the Lombardy Region, and in relation to the Olympic Village to be built for the Milano-Cortina Foundation and the International Olympic Committee, in implementation of a national law specifically prepared to speed up urban planning procedures. COIMA SGR, Covivio and Prada Holding were awarded, through participation in the tender launched by the FS Italiane Group in January 2020, the Porta Romana railway yard (an area that covers an area of approximately 190,000 square meters, in addition to the residual portion of 26,000 square meters of railways) for 180 million euros.