Cortina Olympic Village Milan, SOM Porta Romana architecture design images, Italy winter buildings

Cortina Olympic Village in Italy

9 October 2025

Architects: SOM

Location: Porta Romana district, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Photos by Dave Burk © SOM

Cortina Olympic Village, Milan, Italy

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 Ex 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.

Photography: Dave Burk © SOM

SOM Architects

Cortina Olympic Village, Milan, Italy images / information received 091025 from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill USA

Architecture: SOM – https://www.som.com/

Location: Milan, Lombardy, north Italy, southern Europe.

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photo : Delfino Sisto Legnani-DSL Studio – per le opere courtesy Galleria Massimo Minini e Studio Alberto Garutti