Skyscrapers are the best solution to overbuilding and densifying the modern cities. The idea behind those is to bring more space to the least amount of building area possible. With this kind of spatial distribution, we are left to enjoy the skyscrapers as an everlasting element in the city's skyline. Skyscrapers can be iconic as Pirelli Tower, elegant as Generali Tower, innovative as the Vertical forest and breathtaking as Allianz Tower in Milan.
We can all agree that when it comes to art, design, and architecture, Italy is the country of internal inspiration, and if Florence was the center of the Renaissance, Milan is the center of modern architecture. It's no wonder that the most beautiful skyscrapers are raised here and that the city becomes a field, where sculptural and vertical buildings are constructed, creating in such way a breathtaking urban landscape.
The design of Allianz Tower is signed by Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei. In 2015, during its opening period, this building was listed among the top 10 most beautiful skyscrapers in the world. Isozaki is a Japanese architect, -that was that year's winner of the Pritzker Prize (highest recognition an architect can get)- and Maffei is his younger Italian colleague. This duo worked very successfully on several projects in Italy, such as the renovation of the Bologna Centrale railway station and the New exit for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
What is the story behind the design of this skyscraper?
The designers explained that their idea wasn't so much focused on the sculptural form of the object. They wanted an infinite building, not merely the tallest one. The module is made to vertically repeat and contributes to the infiniteness of the building. The module consists of 6 office floors with a long and thin plan of 24x61.5 m. The chosen proportions make the whole volume thinner, to accentuate the verticality. The facades of the longer front of each module are covered with slightly convex glass, giving the whole building a slight "vibration of the volume". The side facades -the short ones- , are reserved for attractive panoramic elevators.
The building is supported by a strong metal construction, that is visible at the lowest quarter of the object. This rocket-like appearance gives an additional futuristic vibe to the whole composition.
These vertical challenges are what makes you fall in love with a city, and this one particularly will make you stare at with an open mouth for a while.
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Zlata Golaboska
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