Milan Design "White Night" Kicks Off, Centuries of Design Archives Open to the Public for the First Time Collectively

On the evening of April 24th, Milan’s long-standing design and architecture archives opened to the public collectively for the first time. The event, named "Common Archive – Milan Design White Night" (Common Archive - La Notte Bianca del Progetto), was held only for a limited time that night. On-site, it was observed that as an important initiative launched by the Salone del Mobile.Milano Observatory, this grand event focused on the "living heritage" that belongs to Milan but speaks to the world, bringing to life the design stories hidden in the archives.

Some cities tell their stories through monuments, while Milan does so in a more delicate way through archives. The archives opened this time are not the institutional archives of official memory, but the places where designs take shape before becoming physical objects, spaces, or shared images. On the exhibition stands, unfolded or folded design sketches, perfect and unfinished models, photographs, notes, revisions, and test samples were all available. These are precious imprints before the birth of finished products, carrying infinite possibilities of design, and forming Milan’s unique design heritage with both value and depth.

It is reported that the "Design White Night" event is hosted by the Salone del Mobile.Milano Observatory, supported by the Lombardy Region and the Municipality of Milan, and co-organized in collaboration with the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano. During the most international week of the year in Milan, numerous archives opened to the public in the form of unified guided tours and free events, transforming the city’s knowledge network into a platform for interpreting and sharing design heritage. More importantly, the event emphasized the "active space" attribute of archives — they are not only places for storing and organizing design achievements, but also important infrastructure for people to re-study and inspire creativity.

As the first edition of the event, the organizers, through an open call, gathered the core nodes of Milan’s archive system, which is one of the most concentrated areas of global design memory. Following the guided tour route, it was observed that the venues opened this time include many important institutions: the Cittadella degli Archivi (Archive Citadel) with an almost industrial-scale conservation, the Centro Alti Studi sulle Arti Visive (CASVA) with its new premises designed by Piero Bottoni, as well as Triennale Milano and its Centro Cuore (Core Center), Politecnico di Milano, etc. In addition, the AIAP Centre for Graphic Design Documentation, the Compasso d’Oro Historical Collection at the ADI Design Museum, the vast Fondazione Fiera Milano Archive, and the precious collections of the Bertarelli Print Collection at the Sforzesco Castle also made their debut. According to on-site staff, these institutions collectively preserve, study, and open more than 150 collections and archives.

In the agenda of this "Design White Night", the studios, archives, and foundations of leading figures in the 20th-century design industry are an indispensable part. From Achille Castiglioni and Franco Albini, to Vico Magistretti and Gae Aulenti, and further to Giovanni Muzio, Gio Ponti, Giancarlo Iliprandi, Bruno Danese, and Jacqueline Vodoz, the spaces of these masters presented a more intimate side of design to the public. Here, design practice is intertwined with daily life, and some design stories are passed down through the oral accounts of the younger generations of their families — details that no printed monograph can replicate. Several photos displayed on-site (Photography: Salvatore Licitra, Saverio Lombardi Vallauri) also froze the moments of these precious spaces.

At the event, Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano, said in her speech: "‘Common Archive’ shifts the focus from physical objects and the built environment to the stories behind them, and to the various conditions that make design possible. Through this event, Milan will no longer be a stage for this one night, but a living memory, an important legacy that supports research, education, and the transmission of knowledge. I would like to thank all the institutions that have participated in this event, as well as Francesca Caruso, Councillor for Culture of the Lombard Region, and Tommaso Sacchi, Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Milan, for their enthusiastic support and sponsorship of the event."

It was learned from the scene that this Design White Night originated from a research project of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Observatory, commissioned by the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano. The project aims to conduct a systematic analysis of the achievements of Milan’s urban design culture in 2025, and ultimately form the "2025 Milan Design (Eco) System Annual Report".

Susanna Legrenzi, Curator of the event and Head of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Observatory, stated: "‘Common Archive’ is more than a presentation; it is a turning point, realizing the leap from ‘mapping and archiving’ to ‘shared experience’. The Design White Night is not just a special free opening event, but a link that closely connects archives, people, knowledge, and the audience of the International Furniture Fair Week."

Giampiero Bosoni, Full Professor at Politecnico di Milano, said: "Without history, there is no future, and archives are the living (not ‘dead’, as some would say) testimony of history. This is a truth taught to us by our teachers. Although this statement seems obvious, it needs to be constantly reiterated because it is often forgotten. Such a straightforward statement may be regarded by many as an empty cliché, but this is precisely why we need to save and protect archives more than ever before. In addition to the necessary protection work, we must above all bring archives back to life as an important tool of knowledge, conveying value to everyone through the various and ever-enriching forms of dissemination available to us today."

On the same day, in addition to guided tours and forum activities, "Common Archive" also held a special evening opening of the exhibition "INTERDEPENDENCE: past, present, future" at the Fabbrica del Vapore (Steam Factory). Through educational projects of Politecnico di Milano and 50 international design schools, the exhibition explores design as a tool for interpreting the past, and engages in dialogue with selected design pieces from the CASVA archive.（All the images: courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano）