Zaha Hadid Architects just revealed new images of their soon-to-be-completed Generali Tower, a twisting glazed landmark in Milan targeting LEED Platinum certification. The sculptural building was created as part of the massive CityLife masterplan that, when completed in 2020, will mark the largest new civic space and public park created in the city since the opening of Parco Sempione 130 years ago. The 44-story Generali Tower, along with two other towers, serves as the centerpiece for CityLife.
The 557-foot-tall Generali Tower is aligned with the surrounding public park at its base but gradually twists to orientate the upper floors in alignment with the primary southeast axis leading to Bramante’s 15th Century tribune of Santa Maria della Grazie and beyond. Algorithms were used to determine the “torsion of the tower, induced by the warping of the columns around the core,” wrote the architects. “The curvilinear geometries of its podium defined by the perceived centripetal forces generated from the staggered intersection of these three city axes at the tower’s base.”
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The building features a reinforced concrete structure clad in a double-facade system that, in addition with sun-deflecting louvers, helps ensure excellent energy performance. The Generali Tower’s interiors will be completed this summer and house up to 3,900 employees. Once CityLife is completed, the 90-acre site will offer 1,000 new homes, offices for over 11,000 staff, a new 42-acre public park, piazzas, and a kindergarten.
Images by Hufton + Crow
