Unipol Group Headquarters
“Sensory” architecture The project for the new Unipol Group Headquarter is an example of “sensory” architecture. The dual-skin façade transforms the building into an environmentally responsive organism, much like a tree with an orderly network of branches interacting with the surrounding light and air. The tower background The form of the building, a 125-meter elliptical tower in the Porta Nuova quarter in the heart of Milan, was derived from careful analysis of the special characteristics of the physical context, the local climate, and sun exposure. The atrium as a bioclimatic device The entrance is marked by a large glass canopy folding upwards from the façade itself. Visitors are greeted by a large central atrium that extends all the way to the top of the building, with the various floors overlooking the light- and vegetation-filled space. Together with the rooftop greenhouse and the façade system itself, the atrium transforms the entire tower into a bioclimatic device. Beyond its role as an environmental buffer, the atrium lends itself to creating an inviting series of formal and informal reception and meeting spaces. Offices with thermal comfort and views The offices look onto Porta Nuova’s large city park on the north side of the building, in this way optimizing both thermal comfort and views. The vast atrium is located on the south-west side, toward the city center, where it enhances the environmental quality of the entire building by protecting the south façade from direct sun and by creating natural ventilation of the interior spaces through the “chimney effect”. The upper management offices and formal meeting spaces on the top floors look down over the city center through the rooftop gardens. The botanical greenhouse The tower culminates in a large botanical greenhouse with panoramic views and an area dedicated to hosting public meetings and cultural events. The BIM (Building Information Modeling) project The complexity and desired quality level of the building required the use of building information modeling, or BIM. The purpose was to create a single integrated building model in which the geometrical and numerical data deriving from the various disciplines involved in the creative process (structural engineering, building services, etc.) could be analyzed as a whole.
Luxottica Digital Factory
Park Associati’s retrofitting intervention lends a new identity to the Via Tortona factory, turning it into the Digital Factory for Luxottica. The project combines materials technological innovation, research into cutting-edge architectural solutions, attention to the place’s peculiar elements and respect for the district’s social fabric. The archetypal elements of the industrial space are enhanced: the shed-style roof, the wide spaces, and the even-spaced reinforced concrete grid are turned into the design’s pivotal points. The external envelope is the result of a technological and structural research, that lends the building the greatest transparency. The project finds its highest expression in the urban frontage: the building opens up to the city through large full-height windows alternating with slender bronze-tinted metal pilasters, following the regularity of the sheds. Transparency is reflected onto the internal spaces that are completely reinterpreted to accommodate the new functions: the showroom and the exhibition areas find their space on the ground floor, while the Digital Lab, a high-tech innovation centre, is located on the first floor. The intervention, that follows a LEED quality and sustainability protocol, helps revitalize an area of the city that from suburban environment has been turned into a vital area, which is thus returned to the urban and social fabric.
Travelling
Travelling ...an Installation at the Università degli Studi di Milano 2024 Edition Buildings are not things. They are places we travel to and through. Buildings are not empty. They are filled with light and colour and emotion. This installation is called “travelling”. The rectangle of a 2 squares proportion has been sliced by 6 random lines which became, after vertical extrusion, ridges and valleys giving shape to 7 breakthroughs. Each person visiting will find their own destination. In this installation are seven rooms. Each lead to a different experience. Traveling is covered with a burnished copper aluminium roof. The exterior is organic and represents a mysterious human intervention in time and space. You walk inside as in a movie travelling between the seven rooms of experience. There is a surrounding patio. The frame of the installation is a black steel structure with a translucent stained-glass wall on the back. This transparent “light wall” is composed of 50 images of the human form painted by the architect-artist. The images are reflected onto the installation’s stone like floor. The 7 rooms convey 7 unique themes representing human experience: Meditation (felt covered walls to be soundproof) Kink with chains and spikes Reflection (with illusion mirrors showing blurred and distorted reality) corridor - traveling Creativity (Kassar will paint for 2-3 hours on certain days during the event.) Games (noughts and crosses and connect the dots) Senses – (sensory covered corridor) Platform Measuring: 6.20m x 10.00 m. Object footprint: 3.50m x 7.00m Height: 5.00m approx. Materials Used: Steel Tubes, Wooden Boards (Plywood), Anodized Aluminum Copper finish, Transparent Coloured Acrylic sheets, Vinyl, Brass chains, Acoustic Felt, Leather, Rubber.
Vetra Building
Turning a neglected urban landmark into a bold dream for the neighborhood’s future. That was the challenge we embarked on when renovating Milan’s former Tax Collector’s Office. Vetra Building is an intervention of urban regeneration that aims to reactivate the dialogue between a former public building and a portion of the city it had barricaded itself from. The revival of the property begins from the building’s façade to reconnect, physically and visually, a previously abandoned park with the city. It then proceeds to spatial, material, plant engineering assets, earning Vetra a LEED Platinum status. In redeveloping this office building Il Prisma brings particular attention to open spaces by creating a new central square open to public passage and renovating an existing public space. The result is a two-block complex for more than 27,000 m2 total, with a new office building spread over 5 floors and a street-level food court. The remade ground floor hosts commercial spaces and common areas that act as a binder between the workspaces and services. In the heart of the Basilicas Park of Milan, an entire district comes back to life thanks to spaces, designed with a renewed sociality in mind. The revived Vetra Building is an open and varied ecosystem providing people with experience that goes beyond office hours and evolves throughout the day. A site-specific work of art was installed on Vetra’s façade on the occasion of the opening of the building in November 2021. The light sculpture “X”, which carries the signature of Patrick Tuttofuoco, an internationally acclaimed Italian artist, is inspired by the concepts of openness, contact and new ways to live space – values that guided the entire architectural redevelopment project of the building. Added value Il Prisma developed a strong identity for the revived Vetra through the conscious use of contemporary materials and typological choices that disrupt the building’s austerity while maintaining the continuity with pre-existing lines and shapes with respect for past traditions. Large glass areas and perforated metal sheet finishes are the elements that materially define the intervention. Location The building is located between the streets of Della Chiusa, Wittgens, Cardinal Caprara and Vetra Square, in Milan; its peculiarity lies in its strategic position near the San Lorenzo Basilica, with the main arcaded front facing the Basilicas Park.
Generali Tower
Generali Tower is within the CityLife masterplan that has redeveloped Milan’s abandoned trade fair grounds following the fair’s relocation to Rho Pero in 2005. Located above the new Tre Torri station on Line 5 of the city’s metro system, CityLife opens the 90-acre site to year-round public use for the first time; providing new civic spaces, public parks and residential areas, in addition to shopping districts and corporate offices. When fully complete in 2020, CityLife will be the largest new civic space and public park created in the city since Parco Sempione opened 130 years ago; welcoming more than seven million visitors, workers and residents each year. CityLife will include 1,000 new homes, offices for more than 11,000 staff, the new 42-acre public park, piazzas and kindergarten. Aligned at ground level with three of the city’s primary axes that converge within CityLife, the 170m (44-storey) Generali Tower connects with its surrounding public piazzas and park; the curvilinear geometries of its podium defined by the perceived centripetal forces generated from the staggered intersection of these three city axes at the tower’s base. This vortex of centripetal forces at ground level is transferred vertically through the tower by realigning successive rhomboid-shaped floor plates to twist the tower about its vertical axis. This helical twist reduces incrementally with the height of each floor above street level, giving all floors a fractionally different relationship to the floors above and below. As the tower rises offering broader views across Milan, the twist orientates the tower’s higher floors to the primary southeast axis leading to Bramante’s 15th Century tribune of Santa Maria della Grazie, and beyond to the centre of the city. The tower houses up to 3,900 employees to meet Generali’s continued growth as one of the world’s largest financial institutions. The tower excels in all international benchmarks for efficiency while respecting Milan’s rigorous local building codes. Its double-façade of sun-deflecting louvers flanked by glazing provides extremely efficient environmental control for each floor and ensures excellent energy performance, contributing to Generali Tower’s LEED Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council. Inclined perimeter columns follow the twisting geometry of the tower to mirror the inclined alignment of its external façade units. These perimeter columns also maximise usable office space within the tower’s coherent formal envelope. An integral element of the CityLife redevelopment that has created a new civic, residential and business district near the centre of Milan, Generali Tower is defined by its surrounding urban fabric to connect directly with the city.
A2A Headquarters
ACPV’s project for the new Milan headquarters of Italian multi-utility company A2A reimagines the company’s office spaces as capable of adapting to people’s ever-changing needs at work, while reviving the local urban fabric with 6,320 sqm of new green public spaces. The 144-meter-high office tower – named Torre Faro (lighthouse tower in Italian) – will connect Milan’s historic center and periphery by reactivating a north-south axis that runs from the city center through Via Crema and Piazza Trento all the way to ACPV’s Symbiosis business district, located just across the disused railway yard. “The A2A Headquarters project creates a new vertical village for the firm’s operations. It is designed for people to enjoy working in the company of their colleagues and to encourage spontaneous professional and personal interactions,” Antonio Citterio, architect and co-founder of ACPV, says. ACPV won the architectural competition for the design of the new office building and the adaptive reuse of the existing structures in 2018. The new tower can accommodate 1,500 people in spaces that are flexible, open and are complemented by a green courtyard shared with the Museum of Energy – located inside the existing buildings that will be revitalized with the project. Vertically, the tower is divided in the middle into two sets of office floors framed by the spacious entrance hall on the ground floor, the Sky Garden in the middle and the Belvedere on top. Just like the Sky Garden at mid-height (61 meters), the Belvedere provides panoramic views of Milan at 125 meters above ground. The tower’s large atrium and the suspended mezzanine create a generous and welcoming environment, enhanced by the multifunctional office spaces located on the floors above. The architecture of the building addresses future professional needs by integrating flexible spaces – including co-working lounges and informal meeting rooms – that can be reconfigured for multiple uses. The tower’s footprint is minimized by ensuring the site is open to public use, and by creating a new pedestrian-friendly urban district where local businesses can thrive. Beyond the A2A Headquarters, the urban regeneration project extends from the neighboring Piazza Trento to the closest metro station through via Crema. Enlarged pedestrian areas, two new squares, additional green areas and bicycle paths will turn the area into a diverse, multigenerational and attractive neighborhood. “The new tower and the renovation of the firm’s existing buildings transform the architectural volumes to allow for a seamless passageway from Milan’s city center to the Porta Romana disused railway yard and the Symbiosis business district that is currently taking shape,” Claudio Raviolo, head of the project and partner at ACPV, says. Expected to be completed by 2024, A2A’s new headquarters is located in an area of Milan that is currently undergoing profound transformation. The new tower will redefine the role of the district in harmony with the nearby Symbiosis business district, facilitating the transfer of major service sector operations to this part of the city.
The Cathedral
A new landmark for Milano, ‘The Cathedral’ draws inspiration from two of the city’s most iconic buildings: the Duomo and the Galleria, creating a stadium that could not be found in any other city or mistaken for any other stadium in the world. It will be a stadium that sets new standards for fan experience, stadium atmosphere and community engagement. The Cathedral will create a unique home and distinct experience for each club. The design features bespoke installations that dramatically change the appearance of the striking architecture and incorporate the clubs’ identities into the building fabric. For FC Internazionale Milano, a coiled viper of blue light wraps itself around the stadium, while for AC Milan, the vertical buttresses glow a smouldering red. Two home changing rooms and two megastores, one for each club, allow each club to call the stadium their own. Externally, the stadium is enveloped by an elegant glass facade, allowing sunlight to pour through to the concourse galleria, where supporters and the citizens of Milano can enjoy a wide-ranging offer of food and beverage outlets inspired by the world-renowned food culture of the city. The stadium design employs cutting-edge technology and the latest in sustainable design practices, with an incredibly tight and atmospheric seating bowl that will be the most intimate in Europe, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before and creating an unforgettable atmosphere with the best in acoustic design. The scheme incorporates photovoltaic roof panels to generate electricity and rainwater harvesting to minimise water use. The interior spaces are naturally ventilated and passively heated and cooled, with the entire district connected to a central heating and cooling system. Surrounded by 22 acres of green space, the stadium forms the centrepiece of a new San Siro District, a year-round destination offering a plethora of sport and leisure facilities and recreation spaces for all Milanese.
AOUMM - Save The Children Pavillion Expo Milan 2015 & Refugee School Lebanon 2016, Italy / Lebanon
CONCEPT Expo 2015 was the occasion to design a temporary exhibition pavilion that could be rebuilt elsewhere at the end of the international exhibition, and which interpreted the concepts of sustainability in an innovative way, not only in the choice of materials and construction methodologies and bioclimatic aspects, but above all taking care of the whole process from design to construction and reconstruction of the same for further purposes, reusing 90% of the original project, from the structure, to the roof, to the panels, to all the screws used during construction. This is because circular economy is inherent in the project itself. The Save the Children pavilion embodies an imaginary village, suggesting the countries in which the organisation operates. The aim is to recreate the same atmosphere - albeit on a smaller scale - of faraway places. The project is thus constituted in a model village, populated by seven small volumes, with pitched roofs equipped with skylight to allow natural ventilation, which have made it possible to have no air conditioning system. Distinct bodies, formally similar but different in size, are placed according to an open scheme, creating continuity with the external space. The small pavilions have the function of welcoming, accompanying, orientating and entertaining the guest. STRUCTURE Designing a structure that could perform more functions but above all takes into account the reuse of the same, was a fundamental aspect in the design. Moreover, for its construction we have chosen a company that had the same principles of the project: make use of renewable raw material, transformed with renewable energy. The company in charge of construction is a company that for its unique prerogatives has been awarded the Green Flag by Legambiente. As a matter of fact, Legnolandia uses only PEFC certified wood from the Friuli Venezia Giulia forests and uses only energy derived from renewable sources (Hydroelectric, Photovoltaic, Biomass) in its transformation plants. In particular, in this construction he used the 'exclusive' botanical species, particularly present in the nearby forests: the Silver Fir. A botanical species of many values recognized as the European ecological tree because it contributes to the formation of mixed forests and where the biodiversity of the species is guaranteed. In the complete process of transformation of Siver Fir trees, from extraction to processing, a test carried out by the University of Udine shows that only 0.91KG per MC of CO2, were produced. An activity thus fueled with low energy consumption and supported by renewable sources is the key to limit the release into the atmosphere of toxic gases from fossil fuels, while certified and preserved forests store the notorious carbon dioxide producing oxygen. White Fir wood, recognised as an excellent renewable raw material, was the protagonist during the design process and construction. THE PROCESS The process led to self-build the bamboo panels of the façade together with a group of unaccompanied immigrant children welcomed by Save The Children in Milan. The participated carpentry workshop has become a moment of research of constructive techniques and of educational activity for the study together with young people. The choice to create a constellation of small pavilions derives from a clear strategy from the beginning: the pavilion must be able to adapt to other needs and other places without imposing itself but in dialogue with the context. The collaboration with Save The Children Onlus Italy and the AOUMM bring and Catalytic Action (no-profit) brought the project to Lebanon within a Syrian refugee camp to be re-adapted as a school for refugee children. The flexibility given by the design allowed to redistribute the pavilions in a new configuration adapting itself to the limited context of the field. The type section designed to allow spaces of about 25 square meters each and a large classroom of 81 square meters are today classrooms for 300 pupils. The construction system will still allow the school to be rebuilt elsewhere at the end of the war. INNOVATION NOT ALWAYS LIES IN THE PATENT OR IN THE TECHNOLOGIES USED BUT IN THE APPROACH AND IN THE PROCESS.
Acqua di Parma
Designed by Il Prisma, the new workplace provides environments where the entire brand and product experience unfolds through rituals to be discovered space by space. The workspace features a central courtyard, sitting room and large open spaces available for bookings, alternating flexibly with more confidential meeting rooms and areas designed for individual concentration. From a welcome ritual to the one of passing down the brand’s stories. Followed by interactive tools and a characteristic fragrance table. The design concept for Acqua di Parma’s new home is focused on the beauty ritual as the essence of work, creating an immersive experience of the place to evoke the beauty of Italian lifestyle. An experience with a hint of surprise and joy – like when you unwrap a gift. This is precisely the gesture that inspires the design concept called “Unwrapping the Acqua di Parma rituals”. The welcome ritual greets visitors upon entering the reception and consists of a series of gestures tailored to make them feel at home, while guiding them on a journey to discover the brand and its products – thanks also to the use of interactive tools such as fragrance finder. Other rituals are designed for moments of socialization, collaboration, sharing. Set in the area dedicated to the brand’s most immersive experience, they reveal aspects of corporate culture and workers’ life. The showroom with the distinctive fragrance table—where raw materials turn into a finished and perfect product—is the area in which the brand experience gets more immersive. The ritual’s experience proceeds in a space which feels like strolling amid the city’s store windows. A fluid and dynamic environment recreates the beauty of Italian architectural and urban—but also natural—landscape, thanks to such elements as light, heat, citrus scents characterizing both the design and look-and-feel of the space. The ritual of passing down the brand’s stories translates into a space imagined as a living room for hosting talks and events. Inside, you can taste some lifestyle-related moments, characterized by sunny atmospheres of the Italian veranda. A space that celebrates, on an aesthetic and experiential level, the innate Italian beauty and talks about the link to local roots. The portico and the central square with, in the middle, a large lemon tree—symbol of the brand—become the cornerstone of the entire building. A place where to live the conviviality ritual, which encloses the beauty of being together and exchanging ideas – Acqua di Parma’s true essence. Added value Il Prisma designed workspaces that embrace and celebrate the brand’s unique rituals, generating an immersive experience of the place to evoke the beauty of Italian lifestyle. A social initiative project has been developed with two local realities, a cooperative and a social association, to create a positive impact in the neighborhood. Particular care has been taken over energy saving, with solar panels on the roof supplying most of the electricity used in the building and a recycling strategy during construction site.
Palazzo Citterio
An architectural and cultural stratification that forms part of a larger narrative where contemporaneity and history interact with each other and the city. Palazzo Citterio, an 18th-century historic building, is located in the heart of Milan on Via Brera. Over the years, it has undergone several restoration projects, contributing to the realization of the Grande Brera project. Together with the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, it forms a unique cultural hub for the Braidense institutions, while also expanding exhibition spaces dedicated to modern and contemporary art. MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects curated the design for two of the three floors of Palazzo Citterio. The ground floor features the entrance hall and the courtyard, which includes a wooden pavilion, while the first floor hosts the permanent collections. The project aims to return a culturally and socially significant piece of the city to the community, symbolizing a renewed connection between the diverse facets of Brera. This vision drove the creation of inclusive spaces, designed to welcome, build community, and express a new kind of social engagement. Located in the courtyard of Palazzo Citterio and accessible from 12 Via Brera, the circular Tempietto acts as a bridge between the exterior and the various spaces of the Grande Brera. This contemporary component offers access to the adjacent garden near the Orto Botanico, providing visitors with a covered space for resting and contemplation. The installation dialogues with the Pinacoteca, drawing inspiration from Raphael’s “The Marriage of the Virgin” while also representing a leap toward modernity, emblematic of Palazzo Citterio’s collections. Constructed in wood with clean, rhythmic lines alternating between horizontal and vertical elements, the Tempietto’s design enhances its aesthetic while ensuring easy assembly and disassembly on-site. Inside, a suspended canopy creates light effects, evoking a sacred atmosphere.The Tempietto was donated by Salone del Mobile.Milano to the Pinacoteca di Brera. The entrance hall of Palazzo Citterio is another space open to the community. Within this completely renewed environment, an organic, contemporary sculptural table serves as a multifunctional hub for ticketing, information, and a bookshop.This multifunctional design follows universal design principles, incorporating specific considerations to enhance accessibility. The structure features a monolithic steel base with contrasting wooden shelves that function as support surfaces and seating. . Positioned in front of a large LED screen showcasing works by digital artists, the structure takes on the form of an amphitheatre, inviting visitors to pause and admire select pieces of art. Dedicated to the permanent collections, the first floor—or Piano Nobile—displays the works from the Jesi and Vitali families, who once lived in the two wings of the Palazzo The design evokes a domestic atmosphere, with rooms housing the Jesi collection, while those overlooking the inner garden showcase the Vitali collection Special display cases, designed by the studio, highlight specific pieces from the collections and integrate seamlessly with the frescoed rooms’ architecture. The dialogue between modernity and history continues in the Sala degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors), where a display table holds archaeological artifacts.
Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum
The Etruscan Art Museum is an expression of the Luigi Rovati Foundation’s desire to create a place that could enhance and promote its collection and allow the public to appreciate it.The project involves the redevelopment and expansion of Palazzo Bocconi-Rizzoli-Carraro, located in Corso Venezia 52 - a prestigious area of Milan also known for the Indro Montanelli Gardens and historic buildings such as the 1912 Palazzo Saporiti. Palazzo Bocconi-Rizzoli-Carraro dates back to 1871 and has been renovated several times over the years. The building currently consists of a single block with five stories above ground, in addition to a basement and a mezzanine floor. Its rectangular layout covers an area of approximately 3,300 m2. The architectural project will be developed in macro stages. The first stage relates to the expansion of the basement and the creation of a museum, which will house an impressive collection of Etruscan vases and other artifacts. This is the core of the project, designed in full harmony with the rest of the building. This new space will have a sinuous shape, which will ensure continuity between the various rooms and will allow visitors to move fluidly around the space. The stone used for its cladding will be laid horizontally in layers. An eternal, natural, and precious material, it will create the ideal setting for the exceptional works of art that will be displayed within. The second stage relates to the restoration of the 19th century palazzo. The main intervention will invol-ve the meticulous preservation and restoration of the rooms and flooring, which will create the perfect setting for the Foundation’s art collections: where the past and the present meet. The other floors will house the library, workshops, conference rooms, and temporary exhibition rooms. The ground floor will feature a large entrance, serving as a meeting point from which visitors can access the various areas of the museum, including the bookshop, café, and garden.
CityLife (Milan)
CityLife is a residential, commercial and business district situated a short distance from the old city centre of Milan, Italy; it has an area of 36.6 hectares (90 acres). It is a redevelopment project on the former grounds of Fiera Milano after its relocation to the nearby town of Rho. The development is being carried out by a company controlled by Generali Group after its winning offer of €523 million for the rights. The project was designed by famous architects such as Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind.
Generali Tower
Generali Tower, or Hadid Tower (lo Storto, "the Twisted One"), is an office skyscraper completed in 2017 in Milan, Italy that reaches a height of 177.4 m (582 ft) with 44 floors (+ 3 floors basement), and a total floor area of about 67,000 square metres (720,000 sq ft). Its designer is the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, hence it is also called torre Hadid ("Hadid Tower"). The geometry of the building is that of a warping shape, where both the floors dimension and their orientation vary along the tower axis. The structure is concrete and composite. A central core acts as main horizontal stiffening and resisting element. Foundations are of mixed raft and piles type, where the piles are used as settlement reduction devices. The base raft is a 2.5-metre-thick (8.2 ft) concrete slab, resting on 64 piles arranged in clusters and points under the main load points. In order to resist the main torsional effects due to the warped column arrangement, the core lintels above main doors feature composite solutions with a mixed use of steel elements, rebar and concrete. Due to the specific form-dependent deformation effects, a highly sophisticated stage analysis both for construction and long-term effects has been performed. A steel, free form podium for commercial use surrounds the base of the building. In October 2019 the tower was awarded first place for excellence in the high-rise category by the American Concrete Institute. The building hosts offices of Assicurazioni Generali, the third largest insurance group in the world by revenue. In June 2025, the signage on top of the building displaying the Generali logo partially collapsed.
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Open in Atlas MapFrequently Asked Questions
How long does the Milan architecture walking tour take?+
The self-guided walking tour covers approximately 15.7 km with 10 stops. Allow approximately 7 hours including 20 minutes of viewing time per building.
Is the Milan architecture tour free?+
Yes, this is a completely free self-guided walking tour. You can view the route on the interactive map, export it to Google Maps for navigation, and explore at your own pace.
Do I need to book the Milan architecture tour in advance?+
No booking is required — this is a self-guided tour that you can start at any time. All buildings can be viewed from the outside. For guided tours with expert commentary, we recommend checking GetYourGuide for local architecture tours.
What is the best time to do the Milan architecture walking tour?+
Morning light (before 11am) is ideal for photography of building facades. Weekdays tend to be less crowded around commercial buildings. Allow a full half day for the complete tour.