Feltrinelli Porta Volta – Microsoft House

An urban landmark combining formal rigor, historical memory, and design innovation

The Feltrinelli Porta Volta complex, the first project in Italy by the Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron, fits into the Milanese panorama as an architectural work with a strong symbolic and urban value. Composed of two twin buildings – one housing the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation, the other of the Microsoft House – the project represents a virtuous example of synergy between culture, technology, and urban redevelopment.

Urban insertion and compositional system

The project is located in the neighborhood of Porta Volta, in a long-marginal area, on the border between the historic center and the twentieth-century fabric. The project develops along the axis of Pasubio Avenue, taking up the historical visual direction that connects the Porta Volta Customs Houses a Via Alessandro Volta, with particular attention to the geometry of the existing routes and the presence of the Spanish walls of the sixteenth century.

The complex is divided into two parallel and side-by-side volumes, approximately 188 meters, wide 32 meters and tall 5 plans, for a total surface area of over 15.000m²The planimetric organization is linear, with a clear separation between the two bodies, which nevertheless dialogue harmoniously with each other through the shared architectural language.

Architectural language and typological references

The formal identity of the work is defined by a gabled profile which recalls archetypes of Lombard architecture – in particular the rural farmhouses – and from one modular structure marked by triangular pillars in exposed concrete and big vertical windows.

The facades, completely glazed and punctuated by a regular structural mesh, guarantee visual transparency, natural brightness e compositional lightness, contrasting with the material solidity of the load-bearing structure. The double-pitched roof, which extends to the ground, unifies the façade and roof in a single architectural gesture, eliminating any interruption between vertical and horizontal elements.

Geometric rigour is combined with a strong attention to the historical context of Milan: Herzog & de Meuron have clearly drawn inspiration from buildings such as theOspedale Maggiore, the Roundabout of the Besana, Leper hospital and Castello Sforzesco, reinterpreting its proportions, scansions and use of materials in a contemporary key.

Functions and organization of spaces

The first building houses the headquarters of the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation, structured on several levels with archives, panoramic reading room, public library and exhibition spacesThe top floor, open to the public, is conceived as an immersive cultural space, with custom-made furnishings and direct views of the city.

The second building, called Microsoft House, is the seat of Microsoft Italy: a space conceived according to the most advanced criteria of flexibility, smart working and collaborationThe interiors, designed by DEGW (Lombardini22 group), integrate informal environments, multimedia rooms, co-working and demo spaces open to the public and startups.

Public space, sustainability and urban innovation

One of the most qualifying aspects of the project is its relationship with the public space: the masterplan includes pedestrian routes, accessible green areas, cycle paths e neighborhood squares which reactivate the connection between the different parts of the urban fabric.

The logic of the intervention follows a principle of soil liberation, with linear buildings that define the edges of the public space without saturating it, favoring visual openness and permeability. Furthermore, the area integrates a conservation and enhancement system of the Spanish walls, returning a historical fragment to the city.

From an energy and systems point of view, the building is designed according to criteria of environmental sustainability,: high energy efficiency, use of natural light, advanced air conditioning systems and intelligent space management make the complex an example of integrated and responsible architecture.

Feltrinelli Porta Volta represents an emblematic intervention of the Contemporary Milancapable of conjugating historical memory and innovation, cultural function and technological production, formal rigor and urban opennessThe project is configured not only as a high-profile architectural work, but also as a urban device which actively contributes to the regeneration and quality of public life.

Photographs taken in June 2025