Università Bocconi Urban Campus
SANAA · Milan, Italy · 2019
The Bocconi Urban Campus, designed by SANAA, represents a major expansion of Bocconi University and one of the most significant contemporary educational projects in Milan. Completed in 2019, the campus introduces a series of softly curved buildings containing teaching spaces, offices, student housing, sports facilities, and public areas integrated into the surrounding city. SANAA approached the project with an emphasis on permeability, transparency, and continuity between architecture and landscape. Large glazed facades, open circulation paths, and carefully shaped public courtyards create a campus environment that feels visually light and accessible despite its substantial scale. The project avoids rigid monumental forms and instead prioritizes spatial openness and subtle transitions between indoor and outdoor environments. Located near the university’s earlier buildings, the campus contributes to the ongoing redevelopment of southern Milan while expanding the institution’s urban presence. The project demonstrates SANAA’s characteristic minimalist language adapted to the dense context of a contemporary European city.