Pirelli 35: A Landmark in Adaptive Reuse Architecture by Park Associati and Snøhetta

A New Chapter for Milan’s Urban Fabric

In the heart of Milan’s Porta Nuova district, Pirelli 35 stands as a model of adaptive reuse architecture, brought to life through the powerful collaboration between Park Associati and Snøhetta. This transformative office building project reimagines a 1960s-era structure, originally a compact and self-contained office block, into an open, green, and people-centric urban node. The adaptive reuse approach not only preserves architectural memory but also prioritizes sustainability, accessibility, and urban integration.

Merging Past and Future Through Architectural Vision

Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, the architects embraced the building’s original skeleton, dramatically lowering embodied carbon emissions while maintaining the cultural continuity of the site. Adaptive reuse allowed the team to insert a new layer of life into the structure, turning it from a closed monument of the past into a living part of Milan’s future.

The most striking intervention is the removal of the central wing and the insertion of a suspended volume hovering above a newly created public courtyard. This design move fractures the original rigidity and invites permeability, physically and symbolically stitching the surrounding neighborhoods together.

A Sustainable Strategy at Urban Scale

The adaptive reuse of Pirelli 35 is not just aesthetic—it is deeply environmental. From its recycled materials to its low-carbon construction techniques, the project redefines what a sustainable retrofit can achieve. A photovoltaic canopy supports a water-to-water heat pump for optimized thermal generation, while smart energy management systems make the building as efficient as it is elegant.

The redesign of the façade, pulled behind the existing structure, minimizes solar heat gain without sacrificing daylight or visual openness. These strategies exemplify how intelligent reuse and contemporary systems can elevate building performance while preserving architectural integrity.

Creating Accessible and Inclusive Urban Realms

Pirelli 35 is no longer just an office building—it is an urban ecosystem. The new courtyard, paved with undulating stone and framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, invites pedestrians to flow between Milan Central Station and the BAM public gardens. This continuous path opens the site to locals and visitors alike, reestablishing a sense of community ownership over previously inaccessible space.

From the human-scaled terracotta-textured metal façades along Via Bordoni to the sleek finishes that dialogue with Milan’s modern towers, every design decision seeks balance—between intimacy and monumentality, history and innovation, privacy and openness.

Regenerative Design with a Cultural Purpose

For Snøhetta, their first project in Italy was about more than physical transformation. It was about redefining architectural boundaries in European cities through adaptive reuse architecture. By turning a single-use, closed facility into a mixed, inclusive environment that promotes interaction, they’ve set a new benchmark in regenerative urban design.

Similarly, Park Associati approached the project not as a mere renovation but as an opportunity to rewrite the story of a building without erasing its past. The partnership between the two firms, formed through an international design competition, proved that collaborative architectural processes can yield not just a new structure, but a new way of thinking about how cities grow.

A New Standard for Future Developments

Chosen as the Italian headquarters of Adidas and Condé Nast, Pirelli 35 is more than an office—it is a symbol of Milan’s architectural evolution. Its flexible workspaces, public access, and activated rooftop terrace ensure it remains vibrant beyond standard business hours. This dynamic presence in the urban fabric embodies the potential of adaptive reuse to breathe life into aging infrastructure while advancing environmental goals and social accessibility.

Pirelli 35 is not merely a project; it is a precedent. As European cities face the dual challenges of climate change and urban density, this landmark proves that adaptive reuse architecture can lead the way—merging memory and innovation in a seamless, sustainable future.

All Photographs are works of Barbara Rossi