- Project: Roberto Rocca Innovation Building
- Architect: FTA | Filippo Taidelli Architetto
- Location: Italy, Milan
- Year: 2023
- Area: 6000 m2
- Photography: Nemo Monti
A Visionary Hub for Science, Medicine, and Innovation
The Roberto Rocca Innovation Building, designed by Filippo Taidelli Architects (FTA), redefines the architecture of education and research. Located within the Humanitas University Campus near Milan, this new center hosts the joint Medicine and Biomedical Engineering (MEDTEC School) — a collaboration between Humanitas University and Politecnico di Milano.
Spanning three levels and 6,000 square meters, the project embodies a fusion of architecture, science, and human-centered design, shaping a new kind of campus that fosters innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.
Context: Designing for a Future of Knowledge
“In a context of highly advanced technologies — between artificial intelligence and precision medicine — the challenge was to design a building that keeps pace with this idea of innovation and projection into the future,” explains Filippo Taidelli.
Set on the border between the southern agricultural belt of Milan and the Humanitas University complex (also designed by FTA in 2017), the building completes a campus envisioned as a “knowledge factory.” Here, research, teaching, and experimentation intersect through facilities equipped for 3D printing, AI research, and advanced biomedical training.
The result is a structure that not only houses science, but expresses it architecturally — transparent, dynamic, and open to constant transformation.
The Spatial Concept: The “Knowledge Hangar”
At the heart of the building lies a vast central nave, defined by laminated timber beams and exposed concrete slabs. This single-span space acts as a flexible “knowledge hangar” — a reconfigurable environment capable of adapting to future needs.
FTA’s design promotes physical and visual continuity with the rest of the campus, yet introduces a lighter, more transparent formal language. The result is an architectural dialogue between solidity and openness, permanence and adaptability.
On the ground floor, a 500 m² multifunctional atrium forms the social core, surrounded by reconfigurable classrooms, study halls, and Problem-Based Learning rooms. The first floor hosts the Artificial Intelligence Center and advanced 3D printing laboratories, while the second floor accommodates administrative offices overlooking green terraces. The basement houses precision optics labs and student support facilities.
This non-hierarchical layout encourages interaction between students, faculty, and researchers, transforming the entire building into a living ecosystem of exchange.
Architectural Language: Light, Flexibility, and Connection
The double-skin glass façade acts as both environmental buffer and symbolic device — a “light box” that merges transparency with performance. The outer layer of glass regulates solar gain, while the ventilated cavity ensures natural cooling and energy efficiency.
Internally, the spaces are fluid and bright. Instead of traditional corridors, FTA introduces open learning terraces, informal lounges, and transparent classrooms, blurring the boundaries between study and socialization. This design approach reflects a human-centered philosophy, prioritizing natural light, visual comfort, and spatial inclusivity.
Material Strategy: Wood as the Architecture of Tomorrow
Wood defines the project’s architectural and emotional identity. Used in combination with concrete and glass, it provides warmth, sustainability, and structural innovation.
According to Filippo Taidelli, “Wood is the renewable material par excellence — expressive, flexible, and capable of being reused. It is the brick of the future.”
The glulam frame and prefabricated elements were designed to minimize waste and construction time while achieving exceptional aesthetic precision. The result is a building that embodies both technological advancement and craftsmanship.
Environmental Sustainability and Efficiency
FTA approached sustainability as a comprehensive design principle, integrating environmental performance from concept to construction.
Key strategies include:
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Ventilated double-skin façade for passive thermal control and daylight optimization.
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Photovoltaic panels and geothermal systems that make the Humanitas Campus entirely gas-free.
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Rainwater and greywater recycling for irrigation and toilet systems.
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Dynamic LED lighting that adjusts to occupancy and natural light.
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FSC®-certified furnishings and modular construction to reduce embodied carbon.
By employing a wood-and-concrete hybrid structure, FTA significantly lowered the building’s embodied CO₂ footprint, responding to one of the construction sector’s most pressing sustainability challenges.
A Blueprint for Human-Centric Innovation
The Roberto Rocca Innovation Building encapsulates a new generation of educational architecture — adaptive, sustainable, and emotionally intelligent.
Through the interplay of light, materiality, and openness, Filippo Taidelli Architects have created more than a university building. It is a symbol of forward-thinking design, where architecture becomes a catalyst for learning, collaboration, and scientific discovery.
