From Olympic Village to Student Campus: Building for the Future

The Milan Olympic Village marks the first step in the urban regeneration of the former Porta Romana Railway Yard. It is the first of five Olympic Villages set to host athletes of the XXV Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and, with 1,700 beds, it will become the largest subsidized student housing facility in Italy.

The Olympic Village is "a major project looking to the future, combining financial solidity with social value", as described by Manfredi Catella, founder and CEO of Coima.

Milan Olympic Village, a landmark project

Designed by SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), with interiors by Coima Image and public green spaces by Michel Desvigne, the Olympic Village was built in just 30 months—almost a record considering the complexity of the project. It was officially handed over to the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation on October 1^st.

Bookings for student accommodation for the 2026/27 academic year are already open, following an agreement reached in July 2025 that includes the delivery of fully furnished rooms in their final student housing configuration. The facility is set to host an international and diverse student community, embracing values at the heart of the Olympic spirit: growth, inclusion, and respect.

A virtuous public-private collaboration

The project was made possible by collaboration between investors, ministries, local authorities, and sports institutions, including Regione Lombardia, Comune di Milano, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, CONI, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of University and Research, and FS Italiane Group.

The project is a prime example of a virtuous public-private partnership, involving Intesa Sanpaolo, acting both as investor and financier alongside Crédit Agricole and the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo, as well as CDP (Cassa Depositi e Prestiti), which enabled the increase of subsidized student housing beds from 150 to 450. The Impact Fund, comprising major Italian social security institutions such as Cassa Forense, ENPAM, Inarcassa, Cassa dei Dottori Commercialisti, Intesa Sanpaolo, Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione Padova e Rovigo, Fondo Pensione Monte dei Paschi di Siena, and Fideuram Vita, also participates. Finally, the project promoters—Coima, Covivio, and Prada Holding—co-invest with the Impact Fund in the regeneration of the former rail yard.

The project was realized entirely by Italian companies, following a rigorous sustainability assessment. The fast construction schedule was possible thanks to industrialized processes, prefabrication, and serial production, with an average workforce of 200 people per day between factory and construction site.

Energy efficiency and social well-being

The Olympic Village is designed as a model of integrated sustainability, with LEED Gold-certified, zero-operational-emission buildings and WiredScore Platinum certification. Energy efficiency is ensured through heat pumps and a photovoltaic system, eliminating fossil fuel use.

Advanced systems include LED lighting sensors, rainwater collection and reuse, and sustainable mobility features such as bike paths, bicycle parking, and electric vehicle charging stations. The project also promotes social well-being with 40,000 m² of accessible public spaces, green areas, gathering places, plazas, and three sports fields.

Inclusion and accessibility

In addition to the six newly constructed residential buildings, each featuring large terraces designed to serve as social gathering spaces, the project also involved the restoration and transformation of two pre-existing buildings: the former Rialzo Workshop, once dedicated to locomotive maintenance, and the Basilico Building.

The interiors utilize sustainable, recycled, and recyclable materials with a natural color palette of greens and blues. Athlete rooms, later to become student accommodations, were custom-designed to allow for individual creativity. The complex includes 42 kitchens, 42 study rooms (one per floor per building), two gyms, cinema and auditorium spaces, and flexible ground-floor areas that can adapt to future student housing needs.

The presence of flexible ground-floor spaces will allow public service functions to adapt to the needs of the future student residence, which will be integrated into the wider neighborhood through a civic and cultural program. A coordinated schedule of events will be implemented, drawing on the experience gained in Porta Nuova with the management of BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, a project by the Fondazione Riccardo Catella.

Scalo Romana, a New Neighborhood for All

The Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation will return the Olympic Village to Coima in March 2026, allowing the site to be converted into student housing in just four months. The facility will cover 6% of Milan’s student housing demand, strategically located near Bocconi University, Università Statale, Università Cattolica, IULM and schools of higher education such as IED, NABA, Conservatorio Verdi, Accademia di Brera, and Istituto Marangoni.

Alongside 320 apartments for subsidized and public housing, the 1,700 student beds account for 50% of the 105,000 m² of total residences in the new Scalo Romana neighborhood, half of which are accessible housing.

The Parco Romana Masterplan was developed by an international design team led by Outcomist, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, PLP Architecture, Carlo Ratti Associati, and ARUP. Designed to achieve LEED and WELL for Community certifications, the district is also a pilot project for carbon neutrality under the City of Milan’s Air and Climate Plan.

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