Torre UniCredit – Italy

Torre UniCredit – Italy

Italy is not generally known for its skyscrapers, but this new Milan development has a distinctive design, and it part of a development focussed around people as well as business.

Profile:

  • Height: 218m
  • Floors: 33
  • Built: 2012
  • Use: offices
  • Location: Milan, population 3.1 million

Background:

Visible from 10km away.

  • view from the piazza up at the buildings
  • piazza

Part of a mixed use development, Porta Nuova Garibaldi – it and two other buildings surround a square, connected via a canopy over the square. Development is entirely pedestrianised.

Owned by Unicredit – Italy’s largest bank.

Design:

By Italian architect Cesar Pelli.

Features a spire which is covered with LEDs. They’re lit throughout the night and turned different colours for different occasions – e.g. a Christmas tree at Christmas or the Italian flag for a general occasion.

90% of the building has access to direct sunlight through careful designing of the curved facades.

Construction/Engineering:

Structure entirely of steel and glass.

Glazing and energy efficient lighting result in a 23% reduction in energy usage. All rainwater is collected.

[Image credits for this page: pcparch.com]