Three months ahead of the schedule for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Village

The construction of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Village, which is part of the redevelopment of the former Porta Romana railroad station, is an ambitious and innovative project that has caused quite a stir, since the carcass was completed three months ahead of the official schedule. This remarkable success was made possible by use of the advanced NPS New Performance System and by synergistic collaboration of all parties engaged in the project.

The project involved construction of six eight-storey buildings with an average floor area of 900 m² per floor, with 1,700 rooms and with total floor space of 46,000 m² and presented numerous challenges, including its strategic location in the center of Milan, as well as the associated logistical constraints.

The key to project success was the application of a lightweight prefabricated system. The NPS composite steel girder from Tecnostrutture s.r.l. is characterized by its special slender design, which ensures maximum material savings combined with maximum rigidity and load-bearing capacity. Approved by the German DIBt, it is made of a precast concrete NPS girder of structural steel, assembled on site and cast in-situ with concrete and optional additional reinforcement without additional support. This solution de facto eliminates the need for formwork and temporary supports and made it possible to shorten construction times and to optimize use of the limited space on the construction site.

Satisfied project participants

„The rapid construction speed was achieved by implementing two factors: firstly, by the speed of assembly of the supporting structure and, secondly, by overlapping the construction phases. We need 8 minutes to assemble a multi-storey NPS column and 5 minutes for a girder. Once the assembly is complete, we can – owing to the self-supporting structures – immediately proceed with installation of the HVCA system, including bathroom cells and façades. This is exactly what was done for the Olympic Village. While the NPS structures of the upper floors were being assembled, the wooden façades and the bathroom cells on the lower floors had already been installed,“ said Giulia Daniele, Managing Director of Tecnostrutture Deutschland GmbH.

“We confirm that the works were completed three months ahead of the schedule and was achieved by early planning and prefabrication engineering,” says Manfredi Catella, CEO of COIMA, the investor of the project. The developer of the Olympic Village is the Porta Romana Fund, which is also engaged in redevelopment of the freight railway station of the same name in Milan. The Fund is supported and managed by COIMA SGR and has holdings with Covivio, Prada Holding and the COIMA ESG City Impact Fund.

Success thanks to the NPS New Performance System

The NPS New Performance System of composite columns and girders, with an environmental product declaration, played a key role in the environmental performance of the project. NPS, precast in the plants and assembled and installed at the site to a complete self-supporting capacity, reduced the use of formwork and temporary supports by 90 %, as well as the amount of manual labor. This contributed to low environmental impact in all phases of the life-cycle of the buildings.
“For the construction of the Olympic Village in Milan, we eliminated 160 outward and return trips for provisional material. In addition, it is critical to reduce safety risks by drastically reducing the number of workers at the site. The ratio of our off-site structure is 1:10 compared to conventional systems. For this project, it means 80 persons fewer at the construction site, simplified controls and less risk,” says Giulia Daniele, Managing Director of Tecnostrutture Deutschland GmbH.

NPS girders are compatible with all types of floor slabs and feature an open cross-section, which provides architectural and structural freedom. They are ideally suitable for flush solutions, reduction of floor heights, creation of additional rooms and construction of DGNB-certified buildings.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Village is not only an important milestone in preparation for the Olympic Games, but also an example of excellence in the areas of construction and technical innovation. Completion ahead of schedule is a success that emphasizes the value of collaboration and innovation in large-scale municipal projects.