Park and Snøhetta have joined forces to transform Pirelli 35, a 1960s office block in the heart of Porta Nuova district in Milan, into a dynamic, accessible, and environmentally sustainable urban landmark. The project, commissioned by COIMA, redefines the relationship between architecture, landscape, and public space, creating a new focal point for urban regeneration.
As a testament to its strategic and architectural relevance, Pirelli 35 has already been chosen as the Italian headquarters of both Adidas and Condé Nast.
The international design competition for Pirelli 35 led to an unexpected yet visionary collaboration. Initially presenting two distinct yet complementary proposals, Park and Snøhetta were invited by COIMA to merge their expertise into a unified project. This partnership -Snøhetta’s first in Italy- exemplifies how architectural quality and sustainability can coexist in a mutually enriching collaboration.
Rather than opting for demolition and new construction, the project embraces the potential of adaptive reuse, preserving the existing structure to significantly reduce embodied carbon emissions. The architectural interventions enhance the building’s aesthetic and structural qualities while reinforcing its connection to Milan’s historical and contemporary fabric.
One of the project's most distinctive features is the transformation of a once closed and impermeable structure into an open, accessible urban space that restitches different areas of the city. Originally a compact, self-contained volume, the building has been reimagined by removing its central wing and introducing a suspended volume that hovers above the new public courtyard.
This intervention breaks the rigidity of the former structure, dramatically enhancing permeability and seamlessly integrating the site with its surroundings.
The result is a vibrant green space interwoven with the urban fabric—an inviting meeting point that fosters interaction between tenants and the public, redefining the building’s relationship with the city. The new courtyard, paved with an undulating stone carpet, encourages pedestrian movement through the site, creating a direct and fluid connection between Milan’s Central Station and BAM, the contemporary garden in Porta Nuova. Large floor-to-ceiling openings frame this space, enhancing transparency and strengthening the dialogue between the building’s interior and the urban realm.
“When being commissioned with the task to redesign the Pirelli 35 in the heart of Milan, we were extremely happy with the forward-leaning possibilities of creating a building that is given back to the public of Milan.
This is very much in accordance with how Snøhetta has been thinking since its very inception, understanding that desegregation of cities, making buildings indoor accessible for the larger public, creating public ownership to these buildings, and by increasing the accessibility for the public. I feel that we’ve created a building that is a good example of how regenerative architecture should look like in European cities, and in the city of Milan”
says Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Founding Partner of Snøhetta
The façade on Via Bordoni, including the bridge element, has a metal cladding with a terracotta-coloured textured paint finish. establishing a dialogue with the residential scale of the neighborhood. Meanwhile, the re-clad original structure, featuring a concrete-effect finish, harmonizes with the modern high-rises of Porta Nuova, balancing history and innovation.
"This transformation is an opportunity to demonstrate how architecture can bridge past and future, memory and innovation," explains Michele Rossi, Founding Partner of Park. "By working within the existing footprint, we have created something entirely new—an urban space that belongs to the city."
Pirelli 35 integrates cutting-edge sustainability strategies that set a benchmark for future urban developments. The project prioritizes low-carbon construction, reusing existing structures and incorporating recycled materials throughout. A large photovoltaic canopy powers a water-to-water heat pump, optimizing thermal generation, while smart building systems monitor and enhance energy efficiency.
By shifting the façade behind the existing structural grid, the design also reduces solar heat gain, improving environmental performance without compromising transparency or daylighting.
More than a workplace, Pirelli 35 is a dynamic, inclusive, and people-centric environment that enhances Milan’s urban experience. With its mix of workspaces, public areas, and a vibrant rooftop, the project fosters round-the-clock activity in one of the city’s most evolving districts.
Pirelli 35 embeds Milan’s evolution, where historical memory and contemporary innovation come together to redefine the city’s architectural and urban future.
Park is an interdisciplinary collective of architects, designers, and researchers, united by the desire to shape the future of the built environment. Founded in Milan in 2000 by Filippo Pagliani and Michele Rossi, the studio operates across architectural, urban, landscape, interior, and product design, championing an interdisciplinary approach.
Every project developed by Park inhabits its own specific context, from the Regione Lombardia skyscraper to the headquarters of Luxottica and Salewa, from residential and retail spaces to the revitalization of modernist buildings or entire neighborhoods. Park immerses itself in the deep richness of each design opportunity, to uncover its inherent identity and deliver a transformative vision. One that’s new, unique and coherent in all its elements. Operating at the intersection between tradition and innovation, the studio excels at reinterpreting and regenerating cities to become new models of liveability and sustainability, using adaptive reuse as a core strategy.
The collective looks far ahead, anticipating the full impact of its architecture. By doing so, Park gives form to a multitude of experiences, researches and perspectives, striving to enrich lives and foster a new bond between people, places and planet.
Park has won numerous awards, including the Premio Architetto Italiano 2024 granted by the Consiglio Nazionale degli Architetti Pianificatori Paesaggisti e Conservatori.
Snøhetta For 35 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. The practice kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others.
Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original transdisciplinary approach, and often integrates a combination of architecture, landscape, interior, product, graphic, digital design and art across its projects. Today, Snøhetta has a global presence, with studios spanning from Oslo, Paris, and Innsbruck, to New York, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Adelaide and Melbourne. Snøhetta is currently working on a wide range of international projects, including the Shanghai Grand Opera House, Far Rockaway Library in New York, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Dakota, Harbourside redevelopment in Sydney and La Croisette in Cannes.
Snøhetta’s working method simultaneously explores traditional handicraft and cutting-edge digital technology. At the heart of all Snøhetta’s work lies a commitment to social and environmental sustainability, shaping the built environment and design in the service of humanism. Every project is designed with strong, meaningful concepts in mind – concepts that can translate the ethos of its users and their context.
Among its many recognitions, Snøhetta has been awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In 2023, Snøhetta was named Architects of the Year at the Monocle Design Awards.
Team:
Client: COIMA SGR
Architects: Park Associati – Snøhetta
Founding Partner: Michele Rossi, Filippo Pagliani
Project Leader: Elisa Taddei, Giacomo Geroldi
Facade Specialist: Matteo Arietti, Simone Caimi, Ismail Seleit, Andrea Delvecchio
Enrico Sterle
FF&e: Alice Cuteri
Visualizations: Antonio Cavallo, Xhensila Ogreni, Stefano Venegoni
Coordination, Executive Design: MPartner
Structures: CEAS Srl
Systems, Sustainability, Acoustics, Lighting Design, Energy Certifications: ESA Engineering
Fire Prevention: GaE
Façade Design: FACES Engineering
Photographer: Barbara Rossi
