SOM retrofits 1960s Gio Ponti office complex in Milan into open urban campus

Global architecture firm SOM has completed the renovation of Corso Italia 23, a 46,500-square-metre modernist office complex in Milan originally designed by Gio Ponti and Piero Portaluppi in the 1960s. The project transforms the formerly closed-off, insular block into a porous urban campus with improved connectivity. A central courtyard that was once a parking lot is now a shared garden with planted seating areas. New pedestrian routes and internal staircases—including large spiral staircases cut into existing floor plates—link the three distinct volumes. SOM retained 70 percent of the existing structures and foundations, treating the complex as a material bank. One damaged building had its red granite facade removed and repurposed into glass fibre reinforced concrete matching the original colour. New glass-enclosed entrance lobbies offer views into the courtyard. The offices now include a conference centre with a 200-seat auditorium, lounges, breakout spaces, and roof terraces overlooking Milan. Studio design partner Kent Jackson said the core objective was a strategic reinhabitation of a mid-century landmark, preserving the soul of the 1960s architecture while replacing its insular logic with openness and transparency. The buildings were updated to meet modern energy standards while preserving original massing and geometric discipline. Photography by Dave Burk.