Photographer: Bas Princen - Fondazione Prada | ArchDaily

Milan Architecture City Guide: 43 Projects from Historic Landmarks to Contemporary Designs

Hana Abdel — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Milan, a global hub of fashion and finance, increasingly asserts itself as a leading center for architecture and design. Its status as Italy's second-largest city underpins its vibrant cultural scene, attracting both established and emerging creative talent. Additionally, Milan is home to esteemed educational institutions recognized for their focus on heritage preservation and conservation. Its cultural and design significance is increasingly pronounced, as a growing number of creators are relocating to establish their presence in this vibrant creative hub.

Laying the Groundwork: Six Creative Strategies for Reusing Architectural Foundations

Olivia Poston — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Adaptive reuse allows architects to conserve resources, reduce waste, and extend the life of existing structures. By working with what already exists, architects lessen the need for new materials, lower energy consumption, and limit demolition debris. This approach protects natural habitats and green spaces by reducing the demand for new land development. Through reuse, cities become more sustainable and less carbon-intensive while preserving the material and cultural value of the built environment.

Sound Absorption and Aesthetics: What is Stabilized Aluminum Foam?

Eduardo Souza — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 02:30:00 +0000

Stabilized Aluminum Foam is a unique looking material that combines the aesthetics of aluminum (its texture, shades and brightness) with a spongy, porous appearance. It is produced by injecting air into a cast aluminum alloy with stabilizing agents, which after curing, creates a porous and lightweight, yet highly resistant and rigid cellular structure. Because of its mechanical and thermal properties, it is particularly useful in applications in various industries, such as automotive, aerospace and marine, especially for energy absorption, thermal insulation, and sound dampening.

DAAily Guides Present Exclusive Highlights of Milan Design Week

Dima Stouhi — Mon, 16 May 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Aiming to give more to our users and from three different- yet united- perspectives, Designboom, Architonic, and ArchDaily which make up DAAily Platforms, will be providing visitors of Milan Design Week an exclusive selection of inspiring architecture and design highlights via two inclusive guides. The DAAily Milano Fair Guide and DAAily Milano City Guide will serve as the best example of what the power of the three provides to creatives during one of the biggest design events of the year.

Aluminum Foam Facades: Architecture Rich in Texture, Porosity and Brightness

José Tomás Franco — Mon, 06 May 2019 05:00:00 +0000

Modular coatings for facades and enclosures typically deliver fast and efficient solutions. However, many times they lack richness and character since they are repeated infinitely, without relating to the architectural design and its different functions and requirements.

Herzog & de Meuron, OMA, MAD Among 13 Shortlisted for “Design of the Year 2016”

Patrick Lynch — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 08:05:00 +0000

The Design Museum in London has announced the shortlist of 13 architecture projects being considered for the 2016 edition of the prestigious Beazley Design of the Year award. From Tatiana Bilbao’s Sustainable Housing Prototype to MAD Architects’ Harbin Opera House, the list features projects from a wide variety of scales and programs, celebrating some of architecture’s most significant achievements from the past year.

Critical Round-Up: The Most Important Buildings and Events of 2015

Patrick Lynch — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 09:30:00 +0000

The past 12 months have given us plenty to talk about: 2015 saw the opening of several marquee new museums, and the field took an introspective turn with the “State of the Art of Architecture” at the Chicago Biennial. Now it’s December, and that means it’s time for many critics to look back at the triumphs and failures of the year past and make predictions for the year to come.

Rem Koolhaas on Prada, Preservation, Art and Architecture

Catherine Shaw — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 09:30:00 +0000

With the opening of the Fondazione Prada art galleries in May, OMA showed a different side to their practice, one focusing on preservation and assemblage rather than the iconography and diagrammatic layout that many associate with the firm. In this interview, originally published by Metropolis Magazine as "Koolhaas Talks Prada," Rem Koolhaas explains the reasoning behind this new approach, and how they attempted to avoid falling into the clichés of post-industrial art spaces.

Rem Koolhaas On Preservation, The Fondazione Prada, And Tearing Down Part Of Paris

Rory Stott — Sun, 24 May 2015 16:00:03 +0000

With the opening of their Fondazione Prada building in Milan at the start of this month, OMA got the chance to show off a skill that they don't get the chance to use very often: preservation. In this interview with Kultur Spiegel, Rem Koolhaas talks at length on the topic, explaining that he believes "we have to preserve history," not just architecture, and arguing that the rise in popularity of reusing old buildings comes from a shift toward comfort, security and sustainability over the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. "The dimensions and repertoire of what is worthy of preserving have expanded dramatically," he says, meaning that "we shouldn't tear down buildings that are still usable." Still, he says, that doesn't mean we shouldn't tear down and start again in some cases - an entire Parisian district beyond La Défense, for example. Read the full interview here.

Fondazione Prada / OMA

Cristian Aguilar — Thu, 07 May 2015 12:00:09 +0000

It is surprising that the enormous expansion of the art system has taken place in a reduced number of typologies for art's display. To apparently everybody’s satisfaction, the abandoned industrial space has become art’s default preference -- attractive because its predictable conditions do not challenge the artist’s intentions -- enlivened occasionally with exceptional architectural gestures.