I Grattacieli di Milano
The skyscrapers of Milan
There is a story behind the skyscrapers of Milan that I think is pretty great.
By tradition, no building in Milan is higher than the Madonnina on top of the Milan Duomo, at 108.5m. She was placed there in 1774. Now 11 buildings are higher.
When the Pirelli Tower was being built in the late 1950s, a replica of the Madonnina was placed on the roof top, so the Madonnina remained the tallest point in Milan. In 2010, a second replica was placed on the roof of the Palazzo Lombardia, at a new height of 161m, at that point being the tallest roof in the city. In 2015, again, a third replica was placed on top of the Allianz Tower, allowing the Madonnina to continue to occupy the highest roof in the city, at 206 meters.
Milan keeps moving forward, whilst honouring its traditions, in creative ways.
The 16 skyscrapers of Milan*
*That are over or equal to 100 metres in height
Unicredit Tower A
Height: 231m
Year of completion: 2012
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Use: Office
At 231 metres, the Unicredit tower is the tallest building in Italy. Without the spire, it is 152 metres tall. The building is the headquarters of UniCredit, Italy's largest bank by assets, and is part of a larger development of new residential and business structures in Milan's Porta Nuova district, near Porta Garibaldi railway station.
Allianz Tower
Height: 209m (249m with the antenna)
Year of completion: 2015
Architect: Arata Isozaki
Use: Office
Originally nicknamed "Il Dritto" ("The Straight One"). The Allianzi Tower is one of the 3 buildings that form the Tre Torri complex in the CityLife district, together with Lo Storto and Il Curvo. The Allianz Tower, at 209 metres, is the tallest building in Italy if ranked by highest usable floor.
Generali Tower
Height: 192m
Year of completion: 2018
Architect: Zaha Hadid
Use: Office
Originally nicknamed "Lo Storto" ("The Twisted One"). The Generali Tower is one of the 3 buildings that form the Tre Torri complex in the CityLife district, together with Il Dritto and Il Curvo
PwC Tower
Height: 175m
Planned year of completion: 2020
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Use: Office
Originally nicknamed "Il Curvo" ("The Curved One"), the PwC tower is one of the 3 buildings that form the Tre Torri complex in the CityLife district, together with Il Dritto and Lo Storto
Palazzo Lombardia
Height: 161m
Year of completion: 2010
Architect: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Use: Government
The Palazzo Lombardia houses the regional government and won the 2012 International Architecture Award for the best new global design. It was the tallest building in Italy between 2009 and 2011. It has a replica of the Madonnina on the roof, so that she would continue to be the tallest point in the city.
Solaria Tower
Height: 143m
Year of completion: 2013
Architect: Arquitectonica
Use: Residential
The Solaria tower is part of the Porta Nuova redevelopment project, like the Bosco Verticale. It is the tallest residential building in Italy.
BNP Paribas Tower
Height: 140m
Year of completion: 2012
Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox
Use: office
The #Diamantone is a multifaceted structure, which recalls the shape of a diamond. The principal tenant is BNP Paribas bank since 2016.
Pirelli Tower
Height: 127m
Year of completion: 1958
Architect: Giò Ponti
Use: office
Alberto Pirelli, president and owner of the tyre company commissioned the tower to be build in the area where the corporation's first factory was located. The tower was the tallest building in the EU until 1966 and the tallest building in Italy until 1995.
Torre Breda
Height: 117m
Year of completion: 1954
Architect: Luigi Mattioni
Use: office / residential
Torre Breda was the highest building in Italy when constructed, until 1958, when the Pirelli Tower was completed.
Bosco Verticale Tower E
Height: 111m
Year of completion: 2014
Architect: Stefano Boeri
Use: residential
The Bosco Verticale are two residential towers that contain 730 trees, 5000 scrubs and 11000 perennial plants, helping to reduce smog and produce oxygen. It is the first model of vertical densification of nature within a city.
Torre Galfa
Height: 109m
Year of completion: 1959
Architect: Melchiorre Bega
Use: mixed use
The name "Galfa" is a portmanteau derived from the names of the two streets where the tower has its facades, Via Galvani and Via Fara.
Duomo
Height: 108m
Year completed: 1363/1965
Architect: various
Use: religious
3rd largest church in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and the Seville Cathedral
Torre Valesca
Height: 106m
Year of completion: 1958
Architect: BBPR
Use: mixed use
Apparently the design is inspired by the Milan Cathedral and Sforza Castle, but I will need to look again to be able to see that.
Unicredit Tower B
Height 100m, completed in 2012, architect Cesar Pelli, used as office
Giax Tower
Height 100m, completed in 2014, architects Renato Bazzoni, Luigi Fratino, Vittorio Gandolfi and Aldo Putelli. Use is residential.
Garibaldi Tower A
Height 100m, completed in 1992, architect Laura Lazzari, used as office. Garibaldi Tower Tower B is pretty much the same.