Our story

COIMA completed the 2026 Olympic Village after just 900 days of construction. During Post-Olympics, it will be converted into the largest subsidized student housing complex in Italy.

The company, led by Manfredi Catella, signed an agreement with the Lombardy Region, the Municipality of Milan, and the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, confirming the Olympic Village as a global benchmark in sustainability.

Intesa Sanpaolo and COIMA signed a strategic partnership agreement. COIMA celebrated 50 years of operations, managing over 30 real estate funds with more than €10 billion in investments. COIMA REM opened a satellite office in Rome.

COIMA initiated a collaboration with Consorzio Cooperative Lavoratori (CCL), a historic cooperative organization, to develop “fair and social housing” based on mutualistic cooperative principles.

In November, COIMA and Redo SGR announced their entry into the MilanoSesto project, one of Europe’s largest real estate developments, spanning over one million square meters.

Under Manfredi Catella’s leadership, the company developed its “Diversity & Inclusion Framework” and “Social Impact Framework” for application across all portfolio funds.

COIMA ESG City Impact Fund and COIMA Opportunity Fund II were recognized among the top European Global Sector Leaders by GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark), joining an exclusive group of just 38 global sustainability leaders. The Porta Romana rail yard in Milan became one of the first investments.

Portanuova became the world’s first neighborhood to achieve both LEED and WELL for Community certifications, recognizing its social, environmental, and economic sustainability.

COIMA Holding was established by Manfredi Catella and the founding partners of COIMA REM and COIMA SGR to consolidate and streamline the ownership structure, giving rise to the COIMA Group, including the technology-driven unit COIMA HT.

The redevelopment project for the Porta Romana railway yard was initiated, including the presentation of the masterplan and the design for the 2026 Winter Olympic Village.

Construction of Gioia 22 was completed, the first nZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) tower in Italy. COIMA SGR adopted the “comply” approach to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

The U.S. Green Building Council honored COIMA with the European Leadership Award for its commitment to sustainable development. COIMA ESG City Impact Fund was launched, the first Italian closed-end investment fund with measurable ESG impact objectives, focused on sustainable territorial regeneration, and supported by leading institutional investors.

COIMA City Lab, a think tank of architects dedicated to designing sustainable and resilient urban spaces, was established. COIMA employees signed the “Undertaking for Great Cities”, a charter authored by Manfredi Catella outlining principles for responsible urban development. In April, the Valtellina area adjacent to Portanuova was acquired.

COIMA and the Municipality of Milan, together with the Riccardo Catella Foundation, signed the first public-private partnership for the management of a public park, entrusting the Foundation with maintenance, cleaning, security, and the activation of a free cultural program for citizens.

COIMA acquired two new development plots near Via Melchiorre Gioia, expanding the scope of the Gioia 22 site and initiating the second development phase of Portanuova.

In the fall, the public park Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano (BAM) was inaugurated. Portanuova was awarded Best Urban Regeneration Project, and Feltrinelli Porta Volta was recognized as Best Office Development at the MIPIM Awards in Cannes.

The COIMA SGR Board of Directors approved its Sustainability Policy, and the first two buildings in Italy were registered for WELL certification.

COIMA SGR celebrated ten years of activity, with over €5 billion in assets under management and investment capacity. The company’s headquarters, COIMA HQ, was inaugurated.

COIMA appointed the first Sustainability Officer within the Italian real estate sector and developed its first holistic sustainability vision framework.

Under Manfredi Catella’s leadership, COIMA RES became the first listed SIIQ (Italian REIT), a milestone that reflected its entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to best practices in transparency and governance.

The first dedicated investment vehicles for the Italian real estate market were launched for both domestic and international institutional investors.

COIMA established a Sustainable Innovation Committee and hosted its first corporate retreat.

The Catella family acquired control of the asset management company, which was renamed COIMA SGR. Manfredi Catella, COIMA SGR, and COIMA Srl established COIMA RES S.p.A. The company published its first Sustainability Report.

Gioiaotto became the first building in Italy to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

The Portanuova Varesine area was completed and opened to the public with the inauguration of Milan’s longest pedestrian bridge. In October, Bosco Verticale was inaugurated, and the first residents moved in. Shortly after, the project won the International High-Rise Award for the world’s most beautiful and innovative skyscraper.

COIMA launched a real estate program in collaboration with the Italian Forum for Sustainable Finance.

In May, Qatar Investment Authority joined the three Portanuova funds as a long-term investor, acquiring a 40% stake.

The Municipality of Milan assigned the design of the public park Biblioteca degli Alberi to the Inside Outside group.

The Riccardo Catella Foundation launched “I Cantieri dei Bambini,” an initiative engaging children in educational and playful construction activities to raise awareness around site safety and construction processes.

A 6-meter elevated platform was completed, supporting what would become Piazza Gae Aulenti and the César Pelli tower: an engineering solution to overcome the site’s elevation changes. The first public work delivered to the city was the Don Luigi Sturzo underpass.

While the global financial crisis was impacting the real estate sector, construction in Portanuova proceeded without interruption.

COIMA became a founding member of the Italian Green Building Council.

During Milan’s International Design Week, the Riccardo Catella Foundation inaugurated the “Children’s Rights Park” in its garden—a playground accessible to children with disabilities, designed in collaboration with international designers and the non-profit association L’abilità.

As acquisitions continued and the Portanuova project gained momentum, Manfredi Catella and Hines established a real estate investment management company. The Riccardo Catella Foundation began its operations with the mission of promoting sustainability in territorial development. Its primary focus was to enhance urban quality of life through the activation and revitalization of public spaces and green areas, encouraging harmonious coexistence between the city and nature.

Boeri Studio was commissioned to develop the masterplan for Portanuova Isola. COIMA’s activities expanded beyond Portanuova with the acquisition of Palazzo Aporti in December, through Italy’s first value-added real estate fund, MH Real Estate Crescita.

The masterplan for Portanuova Varesine was assigned to Kohn Pedersen Fox. Construction began on Portanuova, the most significant real estate development in Italy at the start of the century. Following the passing of Riccardo Catella, the Riccardo Catella Foundation was established and recognized by the Lombardy Region. The tower designed by César Pelli became the first LEED® registered building in Italy.

The first area within the Garibaldi-Repubblica complex was acquired and the architectural studio Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, led by César Pelli and Gregg Jones, was commissioned to design the masterplan. That same year, the Italian chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) was founded, with Manfredi Catella as Chairman and Kelly Russell Catella as Secretary.

With Manfredi Catella joining his father Riccardo, negotiations began with over 20 private owners to acquire the land included within the perimeter of the future Integrated Intervention Plan for Garibaldi-Repubblica.

The Municipality of Milan signed a Program Agreement with the Lombardy Region for the redevelopment and regeneration of the Garibaldi-Repubblica area.

Following a meeting between Riccardo Catella and American entrepreneur Gerald Hines, COIMA and the Hines Emerging Markets Fund established a joint venture for the redevelopment of an office complex in Viale Eginardo, Milan.

COIMA began its first approach towards Milan, managing the renovation of the Fiorucci headquarters, ITT Corporation offices in San Donato, and the ABB headquarters in Sesto San Giovanni. In Lainate, COIMA developed the Lepetit offices and the headquarters of pharmaceutical companies H.M.R. Hoechst and Acer.

A first collaboration with international investors commenced through a building renovation project in Milan for Cargill.

In its early years, COIMA developed and managed a portfolio of over 2 million square meters including offices, residential properties, and logistics facilities, many of them located in Zingonia, such as the CESAP center of the Gewiss Group for plastics research, the Hyperbaric Medicine Center, and COIMA’s first headquarters.

On the outskirts of Bergamo, entrepreneur Renzo Zingone gave life to Zingonia, an ambitious vision driven by the determination of young entrepreneurs to transform an anonymous real estate area into a meaningful urban project. In Zingonia, Riccardo Catella and Vittorio Lumina founded COIMA (COnsulenti IMmobiliari Associati), a company specialized in real estate development and management.