Snøhetta and Italian architecture firm Park Associati have unveiled the redevelopment of the iconic 1960s office block, Pirelli 35, in Milan. Located in the heart of the Porta Nuova district, the property is transformed into a sustainable urban landmark with a redefined relationship among architecture, landscape, and public space. “This is very much in accordance with how Snøhetta has been thinking since its very inception, understanding that desegregation of cities, making buildings indoors accessible for the larger public, creating public ownership of these buildings, and increasing the accessibility for the public ,” says founding partner Snøhetta Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. “Pirelli 35 is a good example of how regenerative architecture should look in European cities such as Milan.”
Originally designed by Melchiorre Bega and completed in 1964, the complex has played a major role in Italian telecommunications history. Applying principles of adaptive reuse to the contemporary office design, Snøhetta has enhanced architectural and structural qualities through a transformation of the facades and the addition of two new floors. New exteriors are clad with aluminum in a textural, terracotta finish inspired by the local residential vernacular, while existing structures are re-clad with a concrete-effect finish for an elegant, monumental appearance.
One central wing has been removed to accommodate a new suspended volume linking the existing building above Via Bordoni. The move also produces a new courtyard paved with undulating stone carpeting and anchored by a garden. Large floor-to-ceiling openings frame the space, bonding the building’s interior with the urban landscape. Porous glass volumes line the ground floor to improve accessibility, while offices for main tenants Condé Nast and Adidas above comprise the main body of the design. A penthouse on the 10th floor hovers above a terrace offering a unique meeting area overlooking vistas of the city as well. “What emerges is not an imposing monument demanding attention, but rather a thoughtful composition that weaves itself into the existing urban fabric with quiet and elegant confidence,” adds Snøhetta architect and project lead Tommaso Maserati. “The building breathes with its context rather than competing against it, creating a dialogue between old and new that enriches the neighbourhood’s architectural narrative.”
Through the preservation and reuse of much of the original structure, the project significantly reduces embodied carbon. Low-emission and recycled materials further honor the sustainable mission of the design, as do photovoltaic systems used to power a water-to-water heat pump for thermal energy generation. Shifting the facade behind the existing double-column structure also reduces solar heat gain and improves energy performance without compromising transparency or daylighting.
