LIGHT STRUCTURES, SOLID IDEAS: FOR THE MILAN CORTINA 2026 OLYMPIC VILLAGE
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have just concluded. Beyond the enthusiasm and the medals, one question remains open: what urban and cultural legacy will the interventions carried out leave on the fabric of Milan?
To answer this, let us take a step back. In 2006 Benedetto Camerana was team leader and designer of the Olympic Village in Turin for the 2006 Winter Olympics, as well as the author of the Arco Olimpico, one of the most recognizable symbols of the contemporary city. With this expertise and a forward-looking vision, we took part together with GaS Studio as lead partner in the competition to design the Olympic Village for the athletes of Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, in the Porta Romana area.
The idea was simple and ambitious: to design a place capable of living beyond the event. Not just a temporary residence for the Games, but a structure intended to be returned to the city, contributing to the transformation of a strategic and growing area of Milan. The client was COIMA, a major developer that obtained the concession for the site in order to build a student residence, equip it and temporarily fit it out for the athletes and Olympic needs, and then convert it to its permanent function. We presented an organic and articulated proposal, pairing the main structure with a series of temporary, inflatable, multicolored pavilions—visionary, lightweight, pop elements.
A space attuned to Milan’s young and international spirit, open to encounter and dialogue—the very essence of the Olympic Games. The project was highly appreciated, and we came close to being awarded the commission, which was ultimately assigned directly to the American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). One wonders whether the people of Milan might have perceived differently a project conceived by those who live the city every day, who understand its complexities, its tensions, its character. It is an open question that touches on the relationship between major global events and local identities. The Olympic Games—and large-scale events in general—are extraordinary catalysts of resources and visibility. The real challenge is to root that momentum in the context that hosts them and transform it into a shared legacy. Our mission was to leave a positive impact on the local community, to take part in the regeneration of an area whose value has been rising following the development of Fondazione Prada, located opposite the site, and to help define and strengthen a kind of new architectural and cultural hub. And to give Milan, for a few weeks, light, colorful, temporary architectures.
Inflatable structures, yes. But solid ideas