How Milan's Olympic Village Will Transform into Housing for 1,700 Students After the 2026 Games Milan has taken a groundbreaking approach to its Olympic Village for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, ensuring the site will serve a long-term purpose after the athletes leave.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in collaboration with Italian developer COIMA, the complex in the Porta Romana district was built with its post-Olympic role as student housing integrated into the initial plans.
This forward-thinking strategy avoids the common challenge of repurposing Olympic infrastructure. A Dual-Purpose Design from the Start The Olympic Village, located on a former 19th-century railway yard, will host 1,300 athletes during the Games in February 2026.
By September of the same year, the same six residential buildings will reopen as Italy's largest affordable student housing complex, offering 1,700 beds in time for the academic year.
The four-month conversion timeline is possible because the buildings were designed for dual use from the outset, eliminating the need for extensive retrofitting.
COIMA's founder and CEO, Manfredi Catella, emphasized that the project was conceived with its eventual transformation in mind, with spaces, functions, and materials chosen to serve both athletes and students effectively.
This approach marks a departure from the typical Olympic pattern, where legacy planning often begins only after the Games conclude.
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