Corso Como Place
Milan, Italy
An adaptive reuse office project in Milan designed to reconnect a modernist tower with the energy and public life of Corso Como.
Local Architect
Tekne
Project Manager
Artelia Italy
Quantity Surveyor
Global Assistance Development
Structural Engineer
CEAS
Façade Engineer
Faces Engineering
Mechanical Engineer
Deerns Italia
Landscape Architect
LAND Italia
Fire Engineer
Gae Engineering
Lighting
Voltaire SAS
About
The original Unilever Tower, built in 1962, was stripped back to its concrete frame and rebuilt with a luminous new façade that maximises daylight, improves energy performance, and reasserts its presence on the skyline.
The restored tower now offers 16,000m² of flexible office space, equipped with smart building systems and wellbeing-focused features. Its transformation achieved LEED Gold and WELL Gold certifications, with photovoltaic glazing, geothermal systems, and Cradle-to-Cradle® materials reducing energy consumption by up to 75%.
At the tower’s base, a new four-storey pavilion introduces 4,500m² of human-scaled workspace. Formed of a solid concrete base with lightweight steel-and-timber floorplates fanned above like a deck of cards, the pavilion culminates in a landscaped rooftop terrace. Semi-automatic timber shutters and tactile interior finishes create a calm, comfortable environment designed to support wellbeing and collaboration.
A newly landscaped public piazza connects the development to the wider district, stitching it into the urban fabric of Porta Nuova. Circulation routes guide people under cantilevers and through sunken courtyards, drawing on Milan’s rich tradition of urban discovery and supporting a new kind of permeability in the city.
Awards
The reception is shaped by hand-crafted De Castelli metal finishes, giving the entrance a tactile and highly crafted quality. Set within a lowered arrival sequence, it creates a defined transition from the public realm into the workplace.
A new public realm and pavilion reconnect the tower to the energy and movement of Corso Como. New pedestrian routes and landscaped spaces open the site up, creating a more accessible and connected workplace environment. Together, these elements help position the development as an active part of the city.
Adaptive reuse
The project retains and reworks the existing modernist structure, extending the life of the building through targeted interventions rather than replacement. This approach allows the tower to support contemporary workplace demands while preserving its role within Milan’s evolving urban fabric.
