Host2026 is a research project that originates from the challenge of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games (OPGs) in Valtellina. The issues on event management intersect with great opportunities related to the incoming funds and the media visibility that the territory will gain. In the pre-event period, the question is: “How can we activate sustainable planning with a long-lasting legacy?” And “How can this event turn into an opportunity by addressing the growing demand for hospitality?”
The project involved research to discover problems and opportunities in the area, but above all outwardly through market research, trends and case studies, to understand how Valtellina characteristic traits could become opportunities. The interest in local, natural, cultural, and food and wine enhancement is in line with the progressive sustainability trends (in all its dimensions).
The research led to the proposal of a hospitality system evolving in topology and assigned functions. Indeed, HOST2026 aims to create a sustainable project whose legacy is not only reused but becomes an opportunity for growth, both for the local economy and for social and community development.
Starting from the visualization of an evolving scenario over time, the project proposes modular hospitality spaces capable of moving and changing functions flexibly. Hospitality spaces, both for accommodation and reception services, are connected to the territory through the local wine culture. The innovation does not lie in the final product but in combining modular experiential hospitality with a mega-event such as the OPGs. The proposal makes it possible to enhance the territory and to leave a memory in tourists to increase possibilities of their return with long-term visibility.
The result of the project is a research output that gives rise to a systemic project proposal named ALOC. ALOC identifies a direction to aim for, maintaining a degree of implementation of its assets by the stakeholders involved.
Principal Academic Tutor
Laura Galluzzo, School of Design, Politecnico di Milano
Academic Tutors
Elena Giunta, Departement and University
Elisabetta Rosina, Departement and University
Roberto Giordano, Departement and University
Silvia Tedesco, Departement and University
Elena Montacchini, Departement and University
External Institution
Comune di Tirano
External Tutor
Ambra Borin
Team members
Gianfranco Bartucca, Design & Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
Andrea Foscaro, Architecture, Built Environment and Interiors, Politecnico di Milano
Eleonora Guerra, Architecture and Urban Design, Politecnico di Milano
Debora Lombardi, Interior & Spatial Design, Politecnico di Milano
Francesca Vecchi, Urban planning, Politecnico di Torino
Anna Vezzali, Integrated Product Design, Politecnico di Milano