VOCLA 2026

For Milan Design Week 2026, Henge returned to VOCLA, the project founded by Alcova, deepening its exploration of design as immersive and sensory experience. The heart of this edition beat at the Ospedale Militare di Baggio, Alcova's main hub in 2021 and 2022, which reclaims here its nature as an iconic and recognisable venue, capable of receiving and amplifying the brand's vision. Henge shaped a complex of multiple buildings and outdoor spaces through an installation conceived in dialogue with the existing architectural layers, allowing circulation, pauses and gathering points to emerge naturally from the inner logic of the space. Rather than presenting individual pieces, the brand chose to construct a coherent and inhabitable setting, where the experience would be guided by the quality of materials, light and atmosphere. Stone and mineral surfaces, metal reflections, glass and calibrated lighting, alongside textile and leather seating, define an environment conceived for comfort and permanence. Several elements were designed specifically for VOCLA: not as objects on display, but as functional components of a living space. As in the inaugural 2025 edition, when the format first took shape, VOCLA set out to move at a different pace from the Design Week at large, establishing itself as a self-contained evening destination with a character entirely its own. Alongside the invitation-only evening programme, the project also affirmed its role as a daytime cultural platform, broadening its presence within Alcova's public activities. The space hosted conversations and encounters with figures of international standing, including Bjarke Ingels, Chief Architect of BIG, and Eleni Petaloti of the designer duo Objects of Common Interest.

Music formed an integral part of the programme, while food and drink were approached as a genuine expression of quality hospitality, reinforcing VOCLA's identity as a place of encounter amid the intensity of Design Week. The collaboration with Yapa continued into the 2026 edition, curating drinks and food throughout the week in a more fluid and evolved format, moving beyond the restaurant concept of the previous year. The creative direction was developed by Henge and signed by Ugo Cacciatori, in continuity with an approach centred on material presence and spatial atmosphere. More than an exhibition, VOCLA affirmed itself as an evening landscape within Milan Design Week, embodying a broader shift toward formats that place community, cultural exchange and the genuine pleasure of time spent together at their very core.