
Glass takes centre stage in Conad's new headquarters
AGC Flat Glass Italia played a key role in the design of Sidera, the new headquarters of the CIA Conad Group on the outskirts of Forlì.
- Sponsored content
While 20th-century Milan is known for the quality and specificity of its modernist architecture, the advent of the new millennium has introduced new "grafts" of international architecture into the city.
From 2000 to today, Milan has undergone a profound renewal, partly driven by major events hosted in the Lombard capital. Countless interventions, particularly in urban regeneration, have transformed fragments of the city, giving it a new image and often introducing a seed of internationalism to express a new global vocation for Milan.
More than in other Italian contexts, this transformation has revealed a marked tendency to attract figures from the international star system, including several names honored with the prestigious Pritzker Prize.
Through 15 architectural projects, Domusweb captures the narrative of these works, all strongly tied to the signature style of their authors.
Renzo Piano's Il Sole 24 Ore building led the decade's start. This regeneration of the old industrial fabric was soon followed by various other projects across Milan, beginning a gradual renewal process.
The new Bocconi University building by Grafton Architects was completed four years later. With its imposing volumes, the design seeks to interpret Milanese urban textures, reflecting their materiality through ceppo di Gré stone cladding.
However, the city underwent a radical transformation in 2012, three years before Expo Milano. Near the Porta Garibaldi train station, Cesar Pelli designed the Unicredit Tower, a key part of a masterplan that created one of the most iconic locations in contemporary Milan. As part of the transformation of the Porta Garibaldi area, Milan claimed the international spotlight with Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale, a manifesto of its lush, green image.
Attention then turned to the creative forms populating City Life: first, the residences, followed by the towers, showcasing the flair of Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, and the rigor of Arata Isozaki.

In the same years, the MUDEC and Fondazione Prada buildings emerged, designed by David Chipperfield and OMA, respectively. Each, in its distinct language, created new cultural spaces. Meanwhile, Herzog & de Meuron reinterpreted the Spanish Walls for Fondazione Feltrinelli, SANAA designed the organic forms of Bocconi's campus, Norman Foster made his mark with the Piazza Liberty project, and Peter Eisenman introduced residential buildings in Città Studi.
These 15 projects are not simply icons; they also raise questions about the star system's impact on Milanese architectural culture while cementing the city's position as one of the world's leading centers for contemporary architecture.

1. Renzo Piano Building Workshop – Il Sole 24 Ore / Monte Rosa 91 (2003-new project 2023)
The Monte Rosa 91 complex, formerly the headquarters of Il Sole 24 Ore, began its design phase in 1998, the same year Renzo Piano was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize. The project is part of the transformation and regeneration of an existing industrial site, two sections of which were incorporated into Piano's new design.
The building, extended over six floors above ground, follows the street outlining the block, leaving room on the interior for an artificial hill that houses an auditorium beneath it. The greenery contrasts the building's distinctly technical architecture, featuring glass façades interrupted by stairwells clad in terracotta tiles. The roof appears light and airy, revealing the interplay of steel beams and columns that support a sequence of sunshades.
An intervention also signed by Rpbw, completed in 2023, brought new features to the project, such as the redevelopment of the artificial hill, developing on its surface a system of terraces and paths intended to make it accessible to a diverse community of users. Read the article dedicated to the project
Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Il Sole 24 Ore / Monte Rosa 91, Milan, 2023. Photo Enrico Cano.

1. Renzo Piano Building Workshop – Il Sole 24 Ore / Monte Rosa 91 (2003-new project 2023)
Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Il Sole 24 Ore / Monte Rosa 91, Milan, 2023. Photo Enrico Cano.

1. Renzo Piano Building Workshop – Il Sole 24 Ore / Monte Rosa 91 (2003-new project 2023)
Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Il Sole 24 Ore / Monte Rosa 91, Milan, 2023. Photo Enrico Cano.

2. Grafton Architects – Bocconi University (2008)
The expansion of Bocconi University, designed by Grafton Architects, resulted from an international competition and delivered to the city a building composed of stereometric volumes that reflect and reinterpret the surrounding urban fabric.
Clad in ceppo di Gré stone, in homage to Milanese tradition, the architecture features cuts and voids that structure the project, ensuring natural light reaches the building's inner spaces. The large foyer is a central element of the spatial experience, visually connected to the street through a grand glass window.
Overall, the described geometries balance solids and voids, as well as opaque and transparent spaces, to generate a sense of suspension of the volumes. Yet, the building conveys a strong rootedness, firmly anchored to the ground and seamlessly integrated into the built environment.
Grafton Architects, Università Bocconi, Milan, 2008. Photo by Corinto88, via wikimedia.

2. Grafton Architects – Bocconi University (2008)
Grafton Architects, Università Bocconi, Milan, 2008. Photo by Corinto88, via wikimedia.

3. Cesar Pelli – Unicredit Tower (2012)
The Unicredit Tower, designed by the Argentine architect Cesar Pelli, is part of the regeneration project for the Porta Nuova Garibaldi area, whose masterplan was also signed by Pelli. The tower is part of a complex of three buildings arranged in a semicircle, creating a raised plaza that marks a new focal point in Milan's urban life.
The tower becomes the symbolic centerpiece of the project. Approximately 80 meters tall, the building spirals upward, integrating with a glass body whose volume follows the rise of the spire. The complex creates a crescendo effect that redefines the city's skyline, with massive glass structures accentuated by using stone on the smaller façades.
Cesar Pelli, Unicredit Tower, Milan, 2012. Photo Matteo Ceruti, via AdobeStock.

3. Cesar Pelli – Unicredit Tower (2012)
Cesar Pelli, Unicredit Tower, Milan, 2012. Photo nicolecedik, via AdobeStock.

4. Boeri Studio – Bosco verticale (2014)
The Bosco Verticale, composed of two tower buildings, has become an emblem of vegetation-covered architecture.
The project clearly defines the language that characterizes the research carried out by Studio Boeri (Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra),introducing the concept of architecture in symbiosis with trees and the idea of urban reforestation. The building serves as a tool to enhance local biodiversity, transforming balconies into planted basins that change the façade's appearance with the seasons while also interacting with the local microclimate.
The two towers feature simple volumes with dark finishes and protruding balconies designed to highlight the vegetation. Greenery plays a central role in the design. Indeed, plant species were carefully selected based on their environmental contributions and aesthetics. The architecture becomes, in essence, a silent framework for the vegetation, like a musical score upon which the plants grow and thrive.
Boeri Studio, Bosco verticale, Milan, 2014. Photo Arcansél, via AdobeStock.

4. Boeri Studio – Bosco verticale (2014)
Boeri Studio, Bosco verticale, Milan, 2014. Photo franco ricci, via AdobeStock.

4. Boeri Studio – Bosco verticale (2014)
Boeri Studio, Bosco verticale, Milan, 2014. Photo Renáta Sedmáková, via AdobeStock.

5. Daniel Libeskind – Libeskind Residence (2014)
The residential complex designed by the deconstructivist architect marks the regeneration of the City Life area. The project presents imposing volumes that stand out compared to the surrounding urban fabric; the new residences showcase the fragmented forms typical of the architect's style.
The structures is sixteen stories high and characterized by sharp, angular shapes accentuated by wooden slatted bands that run the full height of the façade. The sequence of floors culminates in urban villas at the top, with double-height spaces and angular voids that create striking architectural features.
Finally, the balconies, varying in size, emphasize the buildings' sharpness, appearing as though carved out by deep grooves.
Daniel Libeskind, Libeskind Residence, Milan, 2014. Photo Matteo Ceruti, via AdobeStock.

5. Daniel Libeskind – Libeskind Residence (2014)
Daniel Libeskind, Libeskind Residence, Milan, 2014. Photo faber121, via AdobeStock.

5. Daniel Libeskind – Libeskind Residence (2014)
Daniel Libeskind, Libeskind Residence, Milan, 2014. Photo AlexMastro, via AdobeStock.

6. Zaha Hadid – Hadid Residence (2014)
The Hadid residences are designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect in 2004, and are distinguished by their fluid and dynamic design in contrast to the Libeskind sharp residences. The forms of the residences, with their sequence of glass spaces, balconies, and loggias, evoke the image of massive naval vessels stranded amid Milan’s urban fabric.
The white finish and glass railings are interspersed with wooden elements on the façade, creating a dynamic patchwork of materials that enhances the sense of movement in the buildings. Like the Libeskind residences, the volumes of this project are also considerable in scale, with a crowning level that houses urban villas. This upper level introduces a break in the façade design, featuring expansive glass panels and a dynamic roofline that adds further vibrancy to the overall composition.
Zaha Hadid, Hadid Residence, Milan, 2014. Photo Matteo Ceruti, via AdobeStock.

6. Zaha Hadid – Hadid Residence (2014)
Zaha Hadid, Hadid Residence, Milan, 2014. Photo Claudio Colombo, via AdobeStock.

6. Zaha Hadid – Hadid Residence (2014)
Zaha Hadid, Hadid Residence, Milan, 2014. Photo Claudio Colombo, via AdobeStock.

7. Arata Isozaki – Isozaki Tower (il dritto) (2015)
Torre Isozaki is the first of the three towers, giving the name to the square. Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, a 2019 Pritzker Prize laureate, the tower rises as a straight vertical body (hence its nickname) with a façade marked by sweeping glass curves. These convex glass panels allow the building to reflect different colors throughout the day, appearing sky-blue at times or taking on the hues of the sunset.
A notable feature of the structure is the set of four brackets at its base, which, like buttresses, support the skyscraper's ascent. One of the final works by the Japanese master, the tower adopts a language reminiscent of a neo-International Style. Alongside the neighboring towers designed by Libeskind and Hadid, it creates a distinctive space in Milan that exudes international forms and atmospheres.
Arata Isozaki, Isozaki Tower (il dritto), Milan, 2015. Photo arcansel, via AdobeStock.

7. Arata Isozaki – Isozaki Tower (il dritto) (2015)
Arata Isozaki, Isozaki Tower (il dritto), Milan, 2015. Photo Plflcn, via Wikimedia.

7. Arata Isozaki – Isozaki Tower (il dritto) (2015)
Arata Isozaki, Isozaki Tower (il dritto), Milan, 2015. Photo Paolobon140, via Wikimedia.

8. David Chipperfield – MUDEC (2015)
The project is located within Milan’s historic fabric and revitalizes the former Ansaldo factory area. Here, the architect introduces simple volumes clad in pre-painted aluminum, which house the Museum of Cultures exhibition galleries (MUDEC). The materials and atmospheres of the building guide visitors through an immersive experience.
The entrance on the ground floor features a space where soft lighting highlights the coffered ceiling made of prefabricated reinforced concrete. Earthy browns and grays, combined with cylindrical columns, create a sense of spatial compression, intensifying the feeling of lightness and elevation as visitors ascend the staircase to reach the galleries.
On the upper level, a second hall with a central layout defines an internal courtyard within the building: a tall, sinuous space filled with diffuse light that rises like a monolithic structure embedded within the museum.
David Chipperfield, MUDEC, Milan, 2015. Photo ezioman, via AdobeStock.

8. David Chipperfield – MUDEC (2015)
David Chipperfield, MUDEC, Milan, 2015. Photo ezioman, via AdobeStock.

9. OMA – Fondazione Prada (2015)
Fondazione Prada is a complex of buildings located in a former distillery in southern Milan. As part of a broader regeneration project, the Dutch firm OMA reimagined the site by repurposing seven existing structures and adding three new volumes: a tower rising along the former railway yard, an exhibition space, and an auditorium.
As Rem Koolhaas notes, this combination creates a constant dialogue between contemporary design and reuse, establishing a deliberate interplay of contrasting elements. As visitors move through the project, they encounter a striking variety of spaces: soaring towers alongside horizontal volumes, expansive courtyards juxtaposed with narrow passages, and minimalist white finishes set against gold-painted elements that shimmer the historic volumes.
This fusion of old and new generates a dynamic and layered experience, making the Fondazione Prada a landmark of architectural innovation and cultural reinvention.
OMA, Fondazione Prada, Milan, 2015. Photo Fiorenzo, via AdobeStock.

9. OMA – Fondazione Prada (2015)
OMA, Fondazione Prada, Milan, 2015. Photo Claudio Colombo, via AdobeStock.

9. OMA – Fondazione Prada (2015)
OMA, Fondazione Prada, Milan, 2015. Photo simona, via AdobeStock.

10. Herzog e de Meuron – Feltrinelli Porta Volta (2016)
Along what was once the boundary of Milan's Spanish walls, Herzog and de Meuron designed a project consisting of two linear buildings separated by a narrow gap intended to house new office spaces. The project, still incomplete, envisions a third structure beyond the historic Porta Volta structures to complete the redesign of the ancient bastion.
The design reinterprets the scale of the surrounding urban fabric with a profile that does not stand out for its height but instead for the expressive power of its repetitive structural elements in reinforced concrete. The building is characterized by archetypal portals that form the structural framework of the volumes, interspersed with glass along the entire length of the buildings.
The radical nature of the design is balanced by the meticulous detailing of pure forms and sharp edges, creating a stark contrast with the mineral plaza in front of the buildings, which follows the soft contours of the terrain.
Herzog e de Meuron, Feltrinelli Porta Volta, Milan, 2016. Photo august.columbo, via AdobeStock.

10. Herzog e de Meuron – Feltrinelli Porta Volta (2016)
Herzog e de Meuron, Feltrinelli Porta Volta, Milan, 2016. Photo august.columbo, via AdobeStock.

10. Herzog e de Meuron – Feltrinelli Porta Volta (2016)
Herzog e de Meuron, Feltrinelli Porta Volta, Milan, 2016. Photo Lalupa, via Wikimedia.

11. Zaha Hadid – Hadid Tower (il curvo) e Shopping District (2017)
Part of the CityLife trio of towers alongside Torre Isozaki, Torre Hadid is known as "The Curved" due to the soft, fluid shapes that define its architecture, creating a skyscraper that twists as it rises. Entirely clad in glass, the building's form is accentuated by a crack that highlights the twisting motion of its volume.
At its base, the tower anchors itself to the ground, giving rise to a podium that houses the CityLife Shopping District. This podium absorbs the tower's parametric forms, extending its dynamic energy into a sculptural shape that envelops the surrounding space.
The two components (the tower and its base) are designed in continuity with the residential buildings also created by Hadid, bridging the three towers' verticality with the neighboring structures' horizontality. This integration ensures a cohesive and harmonious architectural dialogue within the area.
Zaha Hadid, Hadid Tower (il curvo) e Shopping District, Milan, 2017. Photo Restuccia Giancarlo, via AdobeStock.

11. Zaha Hadid – Hadid Tower (il curvo) e Shopping District (2017)
Zaha Hadid, Hadid Tower (il curvo) e Shopping District, Milan, 2017. Photo picture10, via AdobeStock.

11. Zaha Hadid – Hadid Tower (il curvo) e Shopping District (2017)
Zaha Hadid, Hadid Tower (il curvo) e Shopping District, Milan, 2017. Photo Claudio Colombo, via AdobeStock.

12. Foster + Partners – Apple Store Piazza Liberty (2018)
As has happened in other cities, the design for the flagship store of the American tech Apple was entrusted to Foster + Partners. The building was conceived to interpret the essence of Italian urban design, combining the mineral quality of piazzas with natural elements such as water.
The Apple Store in Piazza Liberty is located in a central area of Milan, occupying the space beneath the square, which tilts its surface to create an urban staircase. The minimalism characteristic of the tech company is reflected in the single visible surface element: a glass parallelepiped embedded into the piazza. This structure contains a staircase that connects the street level to the store below. A fountain creates a pool in front of the glass volume, completing the building's urban presence and establishing a dialogue between the design and its surroundings.
Foster + Partners, Apple Store Piazza Liberty, Milan, 2018. Photo Marcuscalabresus, via Wikimedia.

12. Foster + Partners – Apple Store Piazza Liberty (2018)
Foster + Partners, Apple Store Piazza Liberty, Milan, 2018. Photo Marcuscalabresus, via Wikimedia.

12. Foster + Partners – Apple Store Piazza Liberty (2018)
Foster + Partners, Apple Store Piazza Liberty, Milan, 2018. Photo Plflcn, via Wikimedia.

13. Sanaa – Campus Bocconi/campus SANAA (2019)
Lightness and sinuosity are the defining features of the new Bocconi campus, designed by the Japanese studio SANAA, winners of the Pritzker Prize in 2010. The project consists of four cylindrical volumes, later joined by a fifth, housing the Sports Center (completed in 2021), arranged on the site that once hosted Milan’s Centrale del Latte.
The cylinders appear bent, shaped by the wind, creating courtyards and open spaces. A canopy supported by slender pillars weaves through between the buildings, connecting the spaces and ensuring continuity between the built and open areas.
The volumes are clad in stretched metal sheeting with a thin, undulating mesh that generates a subtle, continuous play of light and shadow. This cladding is raised slightly above the ground, exposing the base of the buildings, where a constant glass facade blurs the boundary between interior and exterior spaces.
Sanaa, Campus Bocconi/campus SANAA, Milan, 2019. Photo Plumbago Capensis, via Wikimedia.

13. Sanaa – Campus Bocconi/campus SANAA (2019)
Sanaa, Campus Bocconi/campus SANAA, Milan, 2019. Photo Plumbago Capensis, via Wikimedia.

13. Sanaa – Campus Bocconi/campus SANAA (2019)
Sanaa, Campus Bocconi/campus SANAA, Milan, 2019. Photo Burakuberi, via Wikimedia.

14. Daniel Libeskind – Libeskind Tower (lo storto) (2020)
The last of the three towers in City Life to be completed, the tower designed by Libeskind, also known as "the twisted one," concludes the dialogue between Milan's three new skyscrapers. Its curved shape presents a technical and structural challenge and gives the architecture a distinctive iconic image. The volume, which appears to be carved from a single glass block, actually features offset floors that, though imperceptible from a distance, reveal the shifting of the facade in the concave section when viewed up close. The top of the skyscraper is finally sliced diagonally, showing a further convex facade at the crown.
Daniel Libeskind, Torre Libeskind (lo storto), Milan, 2020. Photo Claudio Colombo, via AdobeStock.

14. Daniel Libeskind – Libeskind Tower (lo storto) (2020)
Daniel Libeskind, Torre Libeskind (lo storto), Milan, 2020. Photo AlexMastro, via AdobeStock.

Hospitality: creating the perfect atmosphere
Wellbeing, connection and functionality, but also the choice of the right furniture: this is the way to create spaces that make us feel at home.
- Sponsored content