A new Olympic model

The Milano Cortina Olympic Village leverages a singular opportunity — the 2026 Winter Olympics — to create a sustainable, intergenerational, and green community in the heart of Milan’s dynamic Porta Romana district. The project, a major component of the Porta Romana Railway Yard Master Plan, offers a powerful new model for Olympic facilities to serve post-Olympics social goals.

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.

Industrial inspiration

Located on the site of a former rail yard, the village adopts the rhythm of the area’s streetscape, creating a porous urban block with a variety of new public pathways and connections to additional components of the master plan. Throughout the village, ground-floor spaces will house a variety of cultural and economic anchors that serve both residents and visitors, enhancing the tapestry of street-level experiences that define the urban landscape of Milan.

The new buildings take architectural inspiration from the city’s historic buildings while featuring striking, contemporary materials. At the base of the buildings, flexible podiums enable public programs to evolve with the usage of the village — just as historic palazzi throughout Italy have been adapted over the centuries. Above, dramatic terraces shaded by vertical plantings serve as bridges between the buildings, becoming signature gathering spaces and outdoor study rooms for students and lending a sense of energy and life on every level. The integration of greenery within the outdoor areas will contribute to the neighborhood’s climate resilience, and also create space for urban farms that enable on-site food production.

Bringing history to life

The existing historic structures will be 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. Located adjacent to Via Giovanni Lorenzini on the southwestern corner of the site, the buildings will together form a gateway to the complex and establish the importance of the area’s history for the larger village. Dramatic yet respectful interventions within the buildings’ interiors may also include new skylights, winter gardens, and art pieces.