Milan – Cortina 2026; Press release: Coima unveils 2026 Winter Olympic Village plans and updated Parco Romana masterplan

Press release provided by COIMA SGR and its partners Covivio and Prada Holding

 

Olympic Village – Site plan – Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

 

COIMA UNVEILS 2026 WINTER OLYMPIC VILLAGE PLANS AND UPDATED PARCO ROMANA MASTERPLAN

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill appointed as architects to create innovative zero-impact Olympic Village

Milan, 16 July 2021 – COIMA SGR and its partners Covivio and Prada Holding, have unveiled plans for the 2026 Winter Olympic Village and an updated masterplan for the Porta Romana railway yard in Milan.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the renowned architectural practice behind projects including the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, has been appointed to design the athletes’ village, following an architecture competition involving 27 groups made up of 71 studios of nine different nationalities.

The zero-impact Olympic Village, in the southwest quadrant of the existing Porta Romana railway yard, will be created in line with NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) requirements. Designed with both its use as the athletes’ village for the 2026 Winter Olympics and its eventual, long-term use as student accommodation in mind, the project will minimise conversion works and environmental impact. All the buildings will be LEED certified, more than 30% of the energy will be produced through solar thermal and photovoltaic systems, and rainwater will be collected and reused, leading to a 50% reduction in the use of drinking water and a CO2 reduction of 40% for heating and cooling.

With the goal of converting from an Olympic function to a student residence function in just four months, the area will become a vibrant ecosystem of student housing, residences, co-working, community amenities and public spaces, all managed through a digital platform. The athletes’ homes will be reused for student accommodation (around 1,000 beds); the park and railway side buildings near the Olympic Square will be used for affordable housing; and the Olympic Village Plaza will become a neighbourhood square, with shops, bars, restaurants and cafes planned at street level; this will also be where farmers’ markets and events can take place. Greenhouses and vegetable gardens are also planned, enabling zero-kilometre products.

Developed by COIMA SGR, Covivio and Prada Holding in collaboration with the Milano-Cortina Foundation, the Municipality of Milan and the Lombardy Region, the Olympic Village will cover a total of around 60,000 sq m. It is scheduled for completion in July 2025.

Manfredi Catella, COIMA Founder & CEO said: “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. 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.”

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Design Partner, Colin Koop, said: “Rather than ceasing to be of use after the Olympics, the Porta Romana Olympic Village will ultimately become a vibrant, self-sustaining neighbourhood built around the principles of social equity, environmental commitment, wellness, and inclusivity. 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.”

The Olympic Village forms part of the broader Parco Romana project, designed by a team led by Outcomist, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, PLP Architecture, Carlo Ratti Associati and Arup. An updated masterplan has been unveiled following a public consultation that took place between 31 March and 14 April 2021, which saw 2,700 people view the project presentation, 1,695 complete questionnaires and 1,685 provide comments.

The updated masterplan reinforces elements of the public space, such as the Central Park, eco-zones (green corridors that will be able to include public areas such as sports pitches, children’s play areas, or urban gardens), and a suspended forest to connect the eastern and western sides of the site, for which the technical and economic feasibility assessment is underway. The volumes of the masterplan have now been distributed more evenly, improving the dialogue with the surrounding areas and providing more activation at ground-floor level.

The Parco Romana project aims to be a blueprint for sustainability in urban redevelopment. All buildings will be LEED certified and the masterplan will be LEED for Community and WELL for Community certified; CO2 emissions in the operational phase will be aligned with the 2050 objectives of the European Community; construction emissions will be contained to less than 750kg CO2 per sq m; heating and cooling will be provided through geothermal energy with no fossil fuels used; sustainable transport will be integrated; green spaces will be provided that promote health and sport; and new public spaces will be created offering cultural and educational programmes for young people and adults.

 

Olympic Village

During the Olympic Games

Olympic Village – Aerial – Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Olympic Village – Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

 

Legacy

Olympic Village legacy – Aerial – Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Olympic Village legacy – Central Plaza – Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Olympic Village legacy – Courtyard – Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Olympic Village legacy – East Entry – Courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

 

Parco Romana

The Parco Romana design team is led by OUTCOMIST, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, PLP Architecture, CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati and Arup.

Parco Romana – Parco Romana Masterplan Aerial – Courtesy of the Design Team
Parco Romana – Park – Courtesy of the Design Team
Parco Romana – Eco Zone with Green Garden – Courtesy of the Design Team
Parco Romana – Piazza Lodi, programmed with an outdoor foodhall – Courtesy of the Design Team

 

Full Design Team
Team Principals: OUTCOMIST, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, PLP Architecture, CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati, Arup
Landscape: Gross. Max. and Nigel Dunnett Studio
Brand Experience: Portland
Mobility: Systematics
Olympic Advisory: Studio Zoppini, AECOM
Technical Advisory: LAND, Artelia

 

Location

Milan – Cortina 2026; Composition of the IOC Coordination Commission 2026

Chair
Sari ESSAYAH (FIN)

International Olympic Committee
Richard L. CARRIÓN (PUR)
Tricia SMITH (CAN)
Jiri KEJVAL (CZE)
Daina GUDZINEVICIUTE (LTU)
Kee Heung LEE (KOR)

IOC Athletes’ Commission
Kikkan RANDALL (USA)

International Federations
Jan DIJKEMA (NED) – ISU

National Olympic Committees
Alejandro BLANCO (ESP)

IPC
Marianna DAVIS (USA)

 

Source: Press release IOC

2026 Bid; Milan – Cortina d’Ampezzo chosen ahead of Stockholm – Åre to host Games (liveblog)

IOC President Thomas Bach announces Delegates from Milan - Cortina win the 2026 Winter Olympics during the first day of the 134th IOC Session at Swisstech

 

Timeline

11:09 CEST Liveblog closed
10:55 CEST

25 June 2019
23:56 CEST This will be the fourth time that Italy has hosted the Olympic Games: previously hosting the event in 1956, 1960 and 2006. Read more here.
20:54 CEST Press release by the IOC;
 

Milan-Cortina emphasises hopes for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 in Italy
Milan-Cortina celebrates the decision to host the Olympic Winter Games 2026, and expresses gratitude following the host city announcement at the 134th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Read more

20:35 CEST Proposed dates;
Olympic Games: from 6 to 22 February 2026
Paralympic Games: from 6 to 15 March 2026
19:33 CEST

19:15 CEST Statement by Stockholm – Åre 2026;
 

No Winter Games in Sweden
Stockholm Åre 2026 are very proud of what we have built together with many stakeholders over the past two years – and our presentations here today. We have delivered a concept, to the Olympic movement, which is modern, sustainable and forward-thinking – and which is fully in line with what is described in Agenda 2020 and in the ‘New Norm’.

Our hope and expectation has been that the IOC would be ready to move from words to action and have confidence in Sweden’s ability to deliver the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games based on our proposal and vision.

We neither want, nor can present, a concept that involves major government grants and guarantees – or change the legislation – for a sports competition.

For now, we will return home to Sweden and reflect on this result – whilst taking the positive collaborative forces with us to other future sports initiatives.

We will come back in due time to the issue of future bids.

The Stockholm Åre 2026 team wishes Milano-Cortina the best of luck in the preparation and implementation of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2026.

Stockholm Åre 2026

19:05 CEST Press release by the IPC;
 

Milan-Cortina to stage 2026 Winter Paralympics
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has congratulated Milan-Cortina 2026 after they won the right to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

At the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Monday (24 June), Milan-Cortina polled the majority of votes from IOC members, finishing ahead of Stockholm-Åre.

Read more

18:56 CEST

18:35 CEST Results of the election for the Host City of the Olympic Winter Games 2026:

134th IOC Session
Results
Host of the Winter Olympic Games 2026

Voting cards distributed: 82
Valid votes: 81
Abstentions (including blank votes): 1
Majority: 41

Stockholm – Åre: 34
Milan – Cortina: 47

18:30 CEST Livestream: Host City 2026 press conference
18:24 CEST Read more about the masterplan and venues of Milan – Cortina d’Ampezzo here
18:14 CEST Press release by the IOC;
 

Milan-Cortina awarded the Olympic Winter Games 2026
Milan-Cortina, Italy, will host the Olympic Winter Games 2026. The decision was taken today during the 134th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Read more

18:11 CEST

18:09 CEST

18:04 CEST Milan – Cortina d’Ampezzo will host the Winter Olympic Games in 2026.
24 June 2019