Stella studied at the Università Iuav di Venezia in Venice.
In the early 1970s he undertook teaching and research at Gruppo Architettura.
In 1973 he was professor of architecture design at the IUAV.
In architectural terms, Stella views himself as a representative of classic modern rationalism.
On 28 November 2008, he won the architectural competition for the design of the reconstruction of the Berlin City Palace / Humboldt Forum.