“CityLife is an urban regeneration project through modern architecture,” says Paolo Micucci, CEO of CityLife, encapsulating the approach of one of the most significant developments that have reshaped Milan in recent years. The occasion is the revival of the so-called Palazzo delle Scintille, a structure over a century old, which will be reborn as CityOval in time for the Winter Olympics.

The project, designed by Milanese architect Sonia Calzoni (who also worked on the expansion of the Museo del Novecento), includes a covered area of 8,200 square meters, featuring a main arena of over 4,000 square meters: Calzoni defines the latter as a “covered public square” that is at the heart of the entire architecture.

CityOval will be the largest event space in central Milan and will ideally complement another key element of the CityLife project: CityWave, the “gateway” to the district. Generali, which has invested over 1.5 billion euros in the area, describes it as “the most beautiful office building in Europe.” The project is designed by BIG, the award-winning studio founded by Bjarke Ingels, who is also this year’s guest editor of Domus.

The building now becoming CityOval has a long and complex history. Designed in 1923 by Paolo Vietti Violi as a sports arena, it hosted major sporting events, including a world boxing championship. In later years, it was converted into an exhibition hall and eventually absorbed into the old Fiera di Milano as Pavilion 3.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the building—acquired at auction by Generali for over 30 million euros—was transformed into Milan’s main vaccination center, the largest in Italy and possibly in Europe. This latest transformation continues its role as a public venue, though it will not host “invasive” events such as large concerts.

During the presentation of CityOval, the historic Vigorelli velodrome—just steps away from CityLife—was cited as a reference point, having also undergone restoration after years of neglect. According to Micucci, the intervention on the former Pavilion 3 followed three key principles:

• Restoring the ground floor area, creating a multifunctional “empty box” for events.
• Developing a new lobby and staircase facing Piazza Burri to improve access to the first floor, which will be dedicated to dining.
• Enhancing environmental comfort, using computational fluid dynamics to ensure optimal conditions despite the large surface area.

The building underwent significant structural reinforcement, including restoring the floor damaged during World War II and renovating the dome—one of the few large-scale iron architecture examples from the last century—in collaboration with the Superintendency.

Paola Micucci

CityOval’s logo itself pays homage to its dome, with a design based on concentric ovals, emphasizing continuity between past and present.

Generali aims to open CityOval in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics, marking the symbolic conclusion of a decade of major urban development in Milan, which began with Expo 2015.