COIMA SGR and its partners Covivio and Prada Holding has revealed that Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will design the Olympic Village for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics as part of the updated Porta Romana railway yard master plan.
SOM was selected to design the village following an international competition involving 27 groups comprised of 71 studios from nine different countries.
Developed by COIMA SGR and its partners in collaboration with the Milano-Cortina Foundation, the Municipality of Milan, and the Lombardy Region, the Olympic Village will transform the Porta Romana district, creating a sustainable urban community and offering a powerful new model for Olympic facilities to serve post-Olympic social goals.
Photo: SOM | Pixelflakes
Thanks to innovative sustainability features, the village will target minimal environmental impact in accordance with NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) requirements.
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. Following the Olympics, the athletes' homes will be reused for student housing; the park and railway side buildings near the Olympic Square will be used for affordable housing; and the Olympic Village Plaza will become a neighborhood square, with shops, bars, restaurants, and cafes planned at street level, along with outdoor space for farmers' markets and other community events.
“The 2026 Olympic Village will represent a new urban laboratory for Milan, the first to be designed and built in its future configuration with spaces, functions and materials already designed for their conversion, meeting NZEB principles,” said Manfredi Catella, COIMA Founder & CEO.
“The integrated district will be managed through an evolutionary digital platform similar to that being tested in the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano (BAM) in Porta Nuova. The project represents our commitment to ESG through COIMA ESG City Impact, the first Italian closed-end investment fund with measurable objectives for the country’s sustainable regeneration, which will retain the Olympic district in its portfolio following its conversion into a student residence.”
“Rather than ceasing to be of use after the Olympics, the Porta Romana Olympic Village will ultimately become a vibrant, self-sustaining neighborhood built around the principles of social equity, environmental commitment, wellness, and inclusivity,” said SOM Design Partner Colin Koop.
“The village adopts the rhythm of the area’s streetscape, creating a porous urban block with a variety of public spaces and communal anchors that will enhance Milan’s vibrant tapestry of ground floor experiences.”
