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Pirelli Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grattacielo Pirelli | |
 |
|
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Milano Centro, Lombardy, Italy  |
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | 1959-1960 |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Gio Ponti, Pier Luigi Nervi, Fornaroli, Rosselli, Valtolina e Dell'Orto |
| Structural Engineer |
Pier Luigi Nervi |
| Owner | Regione Lombardia |
The Pirelli Tower or Pirelli Building (Italian: Grattacielo Pirelli - also called "Pirellone"), is a prominent building in Milan, Italy.
In 1950 Alberto Pirelli, the president of the Pirelli Company, required that a skyscraper be built in the original area where the first factory was constructed in the 19th century. The project was developed by architect Gio Ponti, with the assistance of Pier Luigi Nervi and Arturo Danusso.
At 127.1 meters (417 feet), it is the tallest building in the city and was built of concrete (est. 60,000 tons). Construction of the tower began in 1956 in a time that Italy was experiencing an economic boom. The tower was to be surrounded by low lying buildings on a pectagonal plot of land. Upon its completion in 1958, it became one of the symbols of Milan and of the national economical recovery. The building was later sold to the Lombardy region, of which is now the head office.
Characterized by a bold, structural skeleton, smooth refined curtain wall façades, and tapered sides like the bow of a ship, it was among the first skyscrapers to abandon the customary block form. Until recently, it was the tallest building in Italy. The architectural historian Hasan-Uddin Khan praised it as 'one of the most elegant tall buildings in the world' and as one of the 'few tall European buildings [that made] statements that added to the vocabulary of the skyscraper'.
Some architectural critics believe that the Pirelli building was the inspiration for the design of the Pan Am Building (now MetLife Building) in New York.
The building was hit by a single engine airplane, a Swiss registered Rockwell Commander 112 around late afternoon on April 18, 2002. The aircraft was apparently expected to fly from Locarno to Milan. The plane was low on fuel, and Linate Airport was preparing an emergency landing prior to the crash, but the pilot suddenly wandered off and flew right into the building. The pilot and two others were killed in the incident.
- Skyscrapers, Antonino Terranova, White Star Publishers, 2003 (ISBN-8880952307)