Adidas & Condé Nast among firms set to occupy new creative hub

Tenderstream member Snøhetta and Italian architecture practice Park have transformed the Pirelli 35 building in Milan, creating a complex in the heart of the Porta Nuova district that redefines the relationship between architecture, landscape, and public space. Commissioned by real estate developer Coima, the project seeks to transform the former Telecom Italia headquarters into a vibrant creative hub for Adidas and Condé Nast, who will occupy the office levels, with publications such as Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, WIRED, GQ, and AD.

Originally designed by Melchiorre Bega and completed in 1964 as part of the ambitious - though ultimately unrealised - Centro Direzionale di Milano project, the redevelopment preserves the majority of the original structure, embracing the principles of adaptive reuse while aligning with contemporary office design. The building's architectural and structural qualities have been enhanced through a transformation of the facades and the addition of two new floors.

A defining feature of the project is the removal of a central wing, with the introduction of a suspended volume that connects the existing building with a new addition and hovers over a generous 3000 sq m open urban space. This new courtyard, paved with an undulating stone carpet, creates 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 permeability and strengthening the dialogue between the building's interior and the urban realm.

Kjetil Trædal Thorsen Founding Partner of Snøhetta, stated: “We are delighted 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 indoors accessible for the larger public, creating public ownership of these buildings, and increasing the accessibility for the public. Pirelli 35 is a good example of how regenerative architecture should look in European cities such as Milan.”

Lucy Nordberg

Tenderstream Head of Research

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