Carlo Ratti, the designer of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 torch. Image Courtesy of Milano Cortina 2026
The official torches, named Essential, for the Milano Cortina 2026: Winter Olympics and Paralympics, were unveiled in parallel events at the Triennale di Milano and Expo 2025 in Osaka. Designed by Carlo Ratti Associati in collaboration with Eni and its subsidiary Versalis, Essential takes a minimalist approach that foregrounds the flame as the central element. The project blends Italian design with engineering precision, resulting in a torch that serves as both a symbolic and technical object. Its open structure, uncommon in torch design, allows viewers to see how the flame is produced, revealing the typically hidden mechanisms at work.
The 2025 edition of Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile.Milano, spanning April 7th to 13th, brought together a diverse range of temporary installations at the intersection of architecture, design, and material innovation. Spread across historic sites, courtyards, and exhibition venues throughout the city, these site-specific works explored concepts such as sustainability, impermanence, sensory experience, and spatial interaction, in line with the theme of this edition of exploring the deep connections between humanity and design. Architectural studios, designers, and artists collaborated with brands and institutions to create environments that responded to context while proposing new approaches to how spaces are designed, experienced, and constructed. The following selection highlights ten installations presented during the week, reflecting a range of design approaches, materials, and spatial concepts.
This week, Milan once again becomes the global center of the design industry as the 63rd edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano unfolds at Fiera Milano, Rho. Running from April 8 to 13, the event welcomes over 2,100 exhibitors from 37 countries across 169,000 square meters of sold-out exhibition space. With a focus on sustainability, global outreach, and cultural programming, Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025 continues to evolve as both a marketplace and a space for critical reflection on the future of design. Featuring a notable number of first-time participants, 168 new brands, and a return of 91 previous exhibitors, the Salone continues to act as a key platform for international dialogue, innovation, and industry exchange. The ArchDaily team is on site to follow this year's highlights and share updates throughout the week.
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.
Among Milan's most iconic landmarks are the flamboyant gothic Duomo di Milano, and the historically and artistically significant Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, and the ornate Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, along with numerous renaissance and baroque sites. The city also boasts some of the most innovative modern and contemporary architecture, showcasing a unique dialogue between tradition and modernity. This synergy is exemplified by the contributions of architects like Aldo Rossi,Gio Ponti,Stefano Boeri, Mario Cucinella, Zaha Hadid, Grafton Architects, Herzog & de Meuron, and Foster and Partners.
The following guide highlights key historical landmarks alongside exemplary contemporary architecture curated by ArchDaily, complemented by Designboom's handpicked interiors and installations. This guide serves as an indispensable resource for those planning to explore Milan during the 2025 Design Week, presenting a blend of essential sites designed by renowned local and international architects.
Milan Design Week 2025 is one of the most significant events in the design world, taking place from April 8 to April 13. Following in the previous years' tradition, the city of Milano will host a variety of exhibitions, installations, and discussions throughout its diverse districts, each offering a unique atmosphere and thematic focus. Alongside the renowned Salone del Mobile 2025 at the expansive Rho Fiera exhibition grounds, numerous activities and initiatives will be featured, all coordinated under the Fuorisalone agenda. This article will help navigate the many events by highlighting key venues and installations, ranging from the major fair to vibrant design districts and distinctive locations, such as historic courtyards and revitalized industrial spaces.
The 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile will take place in Milan from April 8 to 13, 2025. Dating back to 1961, Salone del Mobile is a trade fair that covers a wide range of interior design products. The theme of this edition focuses on exploring the deep connections between humanity and design, aiming to establish the event as a creative platform beyond its commercial functions. The fair also serves as a laboratory for experimentation and the exchange of ideas, where new prototypes for furniture and domestic spaces are presented in settings that bring different narratives about ways of living to life. In addition to the furniture exhibition, the event will feature installations, conferences, and workshops, all taking place over the five days at Milan's Rho Fiera fairgrounds.
Axonometric drawing of the Granciclismo showroom (with Daniela Puppa), 1988. Image Courtesy of Archivio Franco Raggi
"Franco Raggi. Unstable Thoughts" (Franco Raggi. Pensieri Instabili) offers an in-depth exploration of the work of Italian architect, designer, and intellectual Franco Raggi. Curated by Marco Sammicheli and Francesca Pellicciari, the exhibition provides visitors with an experimental and immersive experience that traces Raggi's creative journey. Designed by the architecture studio Piovenefabi, the installation is hosted in the Design Platform space at the Museo del Design Italiano in Milan, a museum dedicated to key themes and figures in contemporary design. Held from February to April, the event is part of the prelude to the 24th edition of the Milan Triennale International Exhibition, titled Inequalities, which will run from May to November 2025.
Salone Satellite 2024. Image Courtesy of Salone del Mobile
The 2025 edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano has just announced its opening dates and events program. The 63rd edition is set to take place from April 8 to 13 at Fiera Milano, Rho. This year's event will bring together over 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries, reinforcing its role as a strategic platform for the design industry. The fair will highlight industrial manufacturing, sustainable innovation, and emotional intelligence as key themes, aiming to shape the future of design.
2025 promises to be a landmark in architecture, heralding a vibrant renaissance of creativity and exploration. As societies confront challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and technological evolution, architecture is both a mirror to these dynamics and a compass pointing toward a sustainable and inclusive future. This year's architectural calendar offers abundant opportunities to celebrate the discipline's transformative power — from boundary-pushing festivals to thought-provoking exhibitions that explore pressing cultural and environmental narratives.
From well-established biennials to inaugural gatherings, including the World Architecture Festival 2025, Desert X Al Ula, and the COP Climate Conference, the 2025 calendar highlights themes such as sustainability, heritage, and community. These events underscore architecture's unique ability to shape a better future, addressing global challenges while honoring cultural diversity and design ingenuity.
Entrance to Salone del Mobile 2024. Image Courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano
For the first time, the Salone del Mobile.Milano offers a comprehensive look at its impact with the release of "Milan Design (Eco) System," a research project developed in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano. This inaugural annual report provides a detailed analysis of Milano Design Week's influence and impact, showcasing Salone's role as an international catalyst within the extensive program of design events. The report aims to establish a robust, long-term monitoring system that addresses key sustainability challenges – environmental, economic, and social – as well as inclusion and cultural developments. This data-driven approach is set to inform the future strategies for Salone and the wider design community.
Mario Cucinella Architects (MCA) has reimagined the architectural design of Palazzo Citterio in Milan, Italy, integrating historical and contemporary elements to create a dynamic cultural space. As part of the Grande Brera initiative, which seeks to unify key cultural institutions such as the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Braidense National Library, the palazzo now stands as a hub for modern and contemporary art. Ultimately, the project aims to reestablish Palazzo Citterio as a significant cultural and social landmark, fostering community engagement and interaction.
Tourism, as an urban and architectural phenomenon, has grown to encompass more than just sightseeing; it engages visitors with the social, cultural, and economic narratives that cities tell through their built environments. In celebration of World Tourism Day 2024, this collection of city guides highlights the role of architecture in shaping the urban tourism experience. Today, cities around the world stand as testaments to human ingenuity, historical preservation, and modern innovation. In fact, each city's versatile architecture offers a window into a city's identity, drawing millions of visitors each year who seek to understand how these spaces shape everyday life and collective memory.
In 2024, many cities have seized the world's collective imagination, each with its unique narrative waiting to be uncovered. Whether one finds themselves meandering through London, admiring Paris, or immersing in the cultural treasures of Sharjah, the story is always there to be unraveled. From Amsterdam's canals to Cairo's rich historical layers, Barcelona's avant-garde architecture, the liveliness of Santiago to the ancient marvels of Rome, and the diverse Istanbul to the bustling Bangkok – each city serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of human civilization.
Named one of ArchDaily’s Best New Practices of 2024, (ab)Normal is redefining the boundaries of contemporary inspiration, architecture, and design. This Milan-based interdisciplinary studio, led by architects Mattia Inselvini, Davide Masserini, and Luigi Savio, aims to seamlessly merge architecture, product design, and creative direction into a cohesive practice. Founded in 2017 alongside Marcello Carpino, (ab)Normal's work spans various domains, including art, culture, design, interiors, and fashion. Their projects traverse multiple scales and formats, moving between the virtual and tangible, ephemeral and permanent, speculative and commercial, while integrating iconic elements with nods to popular culture and focusing on the implications of technological progress. Acting as Creative Director for the built environment, (ab)Normal operates across scales and formats, moving between the virtual and tangible, ephemeral and permanent, performative and static.
This year's Milan Design Week brought together designers, architects, producers, and key figures from the design world. The events were divided between the Salone del Mobile at Rho Fiera, a trade fair with over 1950 exhibitors, and Fourisalone, featuring various events across Milan. With numerous installations throughout the city and a wide range of events, conferences, and debates, Milan Design Week stands as one of the most significant design-focused events worldwide. For architects, this represents an opportunity to not only exchange ideas but also to actively contribute through collaborations and explorations across disciplines.
This year, many internationally recognized architects have entered collaborations with furniture and light design companies, exploring the intersection of design and architecture. Despite the change in scale, many of these products reflect the recognizable architectural language of their designers, offering an insight into the principles that guide their practice. In addition to aesthetic explorations, many of the products selected are tackling important themes of interest, from the need to develop more sustainable materials with a reduced carbon footprint, to the potential impact of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.
