{"id":19327,"date":"2026-01-21T19:15:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T09:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=19327"},"modified":"2026-01-21T19:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T09:15:10","slug":"milans-athletes-village-clicks-into-place-just-in-time-for-the-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/milans-athletes-village-clicks-into-place-just-in-time-for-the-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Milan\u2019s Athletes\u2019 Village Clicks into Place &#8216;Just in Time&#8217; for the Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Days out from the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the Porta Romana Athletes\u2019 Village is finished and welcoming athletes ahead of the start of the games early next month. Built from prefabricated modular units, each fabricated from a factory using mass\u2011timber elements, the village will house up to 1,400 athletes during the Games and convert to long\u2011term student and affordable housing for the 2026\u201327 academic year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The complex, delivered 30 days ahead of schedule, brings together cross\u2011laminated timber panels, glulam beams, and low\u2011embodied\u2011carbon facades across residential and communal buildings. Designed by Skidmore, Owings &amp; Merrill (SOM)\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/why-nycs-moynihan-connector-was-among-2023s-top-timber-bridges\/\">responsible for New York City\u2019s Moynihan Connector<\/a>\u2014the \u201cself\u2011sustaining neighbourhood\u201d is fully kitted out with solar panels, roof gardens, and infrastructure designed for rapid conversion after the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"KLXqoiPV8qM\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2026 Olympic Village in Milan\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KLXqoiPV8qM?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Developed by COIMA and designed by SOM, the project was delivered in 30 months and ahead of schedule. Together, it will provide housing for athletes during the Games, along with 40,000 square meters of community spaces, landscaped courtyards, and three sports courts.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/how-paris-built-e2b-prefab-athletes-village-on-time-budget\/\">And like the Paris Athletes Village<\/a><\/em> \u2013 occupied by 14,000 athletes during last year\u2019s Summer Olympics \u2013 SOM is looking beyond the thousands of athletes occupying the village during the games: \u201cRather than ceasing to be of use after the Olympics, the Porta Romana Olympic Village will ultimately become a vibrant, self\u2011sustaining neighbourhood built around the principles of social equity, environmental commitment, wellness, and inclusivity,\u201d said Colin Koop, a partner at SOM. \u201cThe village adopts the rhythm of the area\u2019s streetscape, creating a porous urban block with a variety of public spaces and communal anchors that will enhance Milan\u2019s vibrant tapestry of ground\u2011floor experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We were compelled by the opportunity to design a project that is purpose-built for one usage, and that then will transform for another permanent purpose \u2013 and to do so in the most sustainable and urbanistically responsible way possible,&#8221; Koop said, adding that the athletes&#8217; village is located on a former railyard and the studio drew inspiration from the area&#8217;s industrial past when designing the new buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">SOM unveils Winter Olympics Athletes&#39; Village on former railyard in Milan: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3JEA9WaMqX\">https:\/\/t.co\/3JEA9WaMqX<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TfO3xCDNUh\">pic.twitter.com\/TfO3xCDNUh<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Dezeen (@dezeen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dezeen\/status\/1975979317046792203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 8, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-olympic-organisers-are-now-looking-to-milan-and-cortina-d-ampezzo-for-guidance\">Olympic organisers are now looking to Milan and Cortina d&#8217;Ampezzo for guidance.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>Wood Central understands that SOM\u2019s design included retrofitting two historic structures on site and constructing six timber buildings to accommodate athletes during the games. After the games, these buildings will transition into student and affordable housing. Predominantly built from mass timber in a linear bar format with terraces, the buildings draw inspiration from historic Milanese architecture while utilising contemporary materials, such as low-embodied-carbon facades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Our Road to the Games has started and passes through Paris. The Olympic Games are back to Europe. Three days before the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MilanoCortina2026?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MilanoCortina2026<\/a> was in the spotlight at the IOC Session held in the French capital.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iocmedia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@iocmedia<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PARIS2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PARIS2024<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OlympicGames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OlympicGames<\/a>\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uvZ4rYa588\">pic.twitter.com\/uvZ4rYa588<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Milano Cortina 2026 (@milanocortina26) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/milanocortina26\/status\/1815787469662548041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 23, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Led by developer COIMA, the village is creating a sustainable urban community with a range of green credentials. According to Manfredi Catella, COIMA founder and CEO,\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And once the games are over, the village will be turned into Italy&#8217;s largest affordable student housing complex, comprising 1,700 beds, ready in time for the 2026\/27 academic year: &#8220;The Olympic Village sets a new benchmark for sustainability \u2013 not just in terms of its low environmental impact but for its enduring legacy after the Games, when it will provide high-quality, affordable housing for students,&#8221; Catella said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Days out from the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the Porta Romana Athletes\u2019 Village is finished and welcoming athletes ahead of the start of the games early next month. Built from prefabricated modular units, each fabricated from a factory using mass\u2011timber elements, the village will house up to 1,400 athletes during the Games and convert to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"default","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[3,38,37,35,47,53,41,2,32,46,42,39,48,49,68,43,45,31,40],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[70],"class_list":{"0":"post-19327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-architecture","8":"category-architecture-and-design","9":"category-building-and-construction","10":"category-case-studies","11":"category-commercial","12":"category-europe","13":"category-exterior-wood-products","14":"category-featured","15":"category-global-news","16":"category-industry","17":"category-interior-wood-products","18":"category-mass-timber","19":"category-mid-rise-construction","20":"category-residential","21":"category-sector","22":"category-structural-wood-products","23":"category-sustainability","24":"category-top-stories","25":"category-wood-products"},"authors":[{"term_id":70,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jason","display_name":"Jason Ross","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19327"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32429,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19327\/revisions\/32429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19327"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}