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Boeri was taken to court along with his colleague Cino Paolo Zucchi and four other professionals over the $8.6 million European Library competition...
Renowned Italian architect Stefano Boeri, famous worldwide for the Bosco Verticale project and his long-standing connections with officials and urban projects, including in Albania where he has designed some of the most prominent buildings and is considered a friend of Prime Minister Edi Rama, has been taken to trial in Italy on charges of competition rigging and false declarations regarding conflict of interest.
The judge of the preliminary hearing in Milan, Fabrizio Filice, decided that Boeri – former president of the Milan Triennale, professor of the Faculty of Architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan and former municipal assistant for Culture in the local government of Milan from 2011 to 2013 – should stand trial for his role in the evaluation committee of an international competition in 2022. The competition aimed to implement the Beic – European Library of Information and Culture project, worth around 8.6 million euros, a collaboration between major Italian cultural and academic institutions.
Boeri has reacted by stating that he "confirms his faith in justice and is convinced that during the trial he will prove his innocence and the lack of connections to the facts he has been charged with."
Who is accused along with Boer?
In addition to Boeri, the following have also been brought to trial: Cino Paolo Zucchi, a renowned architect and member of the commission; Angelo Raffaele Lunati and Giancarlo Floridi, the winners of the project from "Onsitestudio", who, according to the prosecution, had professional connections, especially outside of the university, with the commission; Andrea Caputo, the third in the competition, who is suspected of having previously communicated the functional ideas of the project to Boeri to make them "distinguishable"; Pierpaolo Tamburelli (Baukuh studio), considered by the prosecution to be a bridge between the commission and the winning candidates, in violation of the anonymity of the competition.
The charges include the use of WhatsApp and Telegram messages, which, according to the prosecution, were later deleted by Boeri, but were partially recovered by the Guardia di Finanza (Milan's economic and financial police).
Precautions and allegations of conflict of interest
In early 2025, Boeri and Zucchi were placed under a preventive measure by an Italian judge, not arrest, but a ban on being part of public commissions for a period of time (Boeri for one year, Zucchi for 8 months). The prosecution had requested their arrest.
According to the prosecution, Boeri gave "unconvincing versions" in the preliminary investigation and it was argued that he, relying on his international reputation and professional influence, had acted outside the rules that ensure the impartiality of public administration, violating the anonymity of competitors and the evaluation process in the competition.
A laborious project
The Beic project, intended to be completed at Milan's Porta Vittoria by 2026, has been the subject of decades of debate and change. It was first conceived in the 1990s and has been revised several times over the years due to its costs and large dimensions, only to return to the focus of discussion in the 2020s through this new competition.
The Municipality of Milan has not appeared as a civil party in this process, while several relevant institutions initially expressed support for the commission of the case.
Boeri, his project and ties to Albania
Stefano Boeri is one of the most internationally renowned contemporary architects, known for the Bosco Verticale in Milan – one of the most iconic projects of sustainable urban development. In the last decade, his name has also been frequently mentioned in Albania for large urban projects and high-rise buildings in Tirana and other cities, where he is considered one of the main architects invited to give his professional contribution. His relations with Albanian policymakers, especially with Prime Minister Edi Rama, have been frequently commented on in the media, raising debates about the influence of the architecture of “international stars” on the urban development of the capital.
Currently, the legal process in Italy for Boeri shows another complicated page in the career of one of the most prominent names in contemporary architecture, while the debate over conflicts of interest, transparency and professional integrity continues to expand. / Pamphlet
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