A regeneration project in the heart of Milan’s Isola district

Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, the project focused on targeted architectural interventions capable of introducing a new function within the four pre-existing buildings, which previously housed offices and industrial warehouses, with a total surface area of approximately 4,500 sqm.

The central courtyard is the beating heart of the intervention: a space that becomes the relational and distributive core, reconnecting previously fragmented properties and bringing order and coherence to the flows and spatial rhythm of the entire hotel. Around this “vibrant heart” are around 128 rooms of various types and sizes, designed to meet the needs of the neighbourhood, in a Milan increasingly oriented towards flexible, hybrid hospitality attentive to the demands of short- and medium-term urban stays, spanning business, tourism, and new forms of mobility.

Sustainability in the Lario Stelvio project is not an added feature, but an intrinsic quality of the design. Preserving the existing buildings significantly reduces emissions compared to a demolition-and-rebuild process. The intervention is based on a strategy of light transformation and circular economy: reuse of structures, reduced excavation, optimisation of internal layouts, and careful passive microclimatic control, supported by the courtyard configuration, which helps limit reliance on mechanical systems.

Another key pillar of the project is the integration of advanced BIM platforms. For DVArea, the digital model was not merely a three-dimensional representation, but an operational tool supporting design decisions.

By using BIM from the earliest design stages, it was possible to analyse alternative intervention scenarios, detect clashes between systems and existing structures, and assess the implications of design choices for subsequent construction phases. The resulting model will also be a key asset for those responsible for managing the hotel once the facility becomes operational, as it will consolidate the information required for the building’s future management.