Palazzo della Ragione
location:
Milano
ITALY
with:
DeBiasioProgetti srl
CONTEC Servizi di Ingegnieria srl
SPI srl
CAFFINI ENGINEERING srl
Studio Gumier srl
Studio Assocciato Vio-Fassina
Studio Restauri Formica srl
client:
PARCAM srl
year:
2025 - in progress
program:
public facility
status:
competition - 1st prize
Milano
ITALY
with:
DeBiasioProgetti srl
CONTEC Servizi di Ingegnieria srl
SPI srl
CAFFINI ENGINEERING srl
Studio Gumier srl
Studio Assocciato Vio-Fassina
Studio Restauri Formica srl
client:
PARCAM srl
year:
2025 - in progress
program:
public facility
status:
competition - 1st prize
Palazzo della Ragione, at the heart of Piazza dei Mercanti, is one of the historic cornerstones of Milan: an architectural landmark that, over the centuries, has housed the city’s most vital civic functions and embodies centuries of urban history through its layered transformations. Engaging with this building means confronting a tangible and intangible heritage of exceptional value, where any new intervention must dialogue with the past without overpowering it.
The project approaches the palazzo as a constantly evolving organism, capable of meeting contemporary needs while preserving the distinct traces of its historical phases. The design strikes a balance between conservation and modernity, fostering a dialogue between the historic fabric and more recent layers—particularly the work of Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, here integrated as an essential chapter of the complex’s history. New architectural elements are introduced through a minimalist, lightweight, and reversible language, creating new social spaces and improving accessibility without overshadowing the monument. The ultimate goal is to reinstate Palazzo della Ragione as a primary public hub for the city, seamlessly blending preservation, active civic use, and architectural quality.
The reconfiguration of the Great Hall restores spatial clarity and continuity, decluttering and highlighting the historic structure to enable flexible, inclusive programming for events, exhibitions, and cultural activities. Externally, the new vertical circulation system reinterprets accessibility and safety requirements as design opportunities: the new staircase and elevator stand alongside Dezzi Bardeschi’s previous intervention in a relationship of both continuity and distinction, creating a dialogue between two distinct eras of contemporary architecture within the Palazzo. Furthermore, the extended podium redefines the threshold between the building and the public realm, transforming it into a vibrant space for movement, lingering, and social interaction.
The result is a restrained yet distinct intervention that successfully bridges conservation, contemporary utility, and design excellence, restoring Palazzo della Ragione to its role as an open, welcoming, and iconic civic space for Milan.
The project approaches the palazzo as a constantly evolving organism, capable of meeting contemporary needs while preserving the distinct traces of its historical phases. The design strikes a balance between conservation and modernity, fostering a dialogue between the historic fabric and more recent layers—particularly the work of Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, here integrated as an essential chapter of the complex’s history. New architectural elements are introduced through a minimalist, lightweight, and reversible language, creating new social spaces and improving accessibility without overshadowing the monument. The ultimate goal is to reinstate Palazzo della Ragione as a primary public hub for the city, seamlessly blending preservation, active civic use, and architectural quality.
The reconfiguration of the Great Hall restores spatial clarity and continuity, decluttering and highlighting the historic structure to enable flexible, inclusive programming for events, exhibitions, and cultural activities. Externally, the new vertical circulation system reinterprets accessibility and safety requirements as design opportunities: the new staircase and elevator stand alongside Dezzi Bardeschi’s previous intervention in a relationship of both continuity and distinction, creating a dialogue between two distinct eras of contemporary architecture within the Palazzo. Furthermore, the extended podium redefines the threshold between the building and the public realm, transforming it into a vibrant space for movement, lingering, and social interaction.
The result is a restrained yet distinct intervention that successfully bridges conservation, contemporary utility, and design excellence, restoring Palazzo della Ragione to its role as an open, welcoming, and iconic civic space for Milan.
