Infamous for building its repertoire as an art magnificence, a fashion capital, and a cultural phenomenon, the city of Milan, showcases an exquisite projection of interest in the field of art and architecture. This city of prominence in northern Italy is celebrated to carry forth the legacy of the most notable of individuals, the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci and even the exalted members of the Roman Empire.
Profound for its economic and cultural significance, the city hosts various events throughout the year, supporting a massive influx of tourism that hence finances a considerable part of its economy. Over centuries, its geographical location and architectural development have transformed the city into a hub. It boasts both the galore richness of the past and the future expeditions it could provide. Evolving from the spires and vaults of its Gothic framework, the city now showcases an extensive range of architectural styles.
Some of these are mentioned below:
1) Velasca Tower
Standing about 100 meters tall, with a peculiar mushroom-like characteristic, the Velasca Tower stands out in the Milanese Skyline as a piece of ‘first-generation modern Italian architecture. With the structure completed over 3 years, in 1958, the fortification and its massive profile, display an essence of the Lombard tradition, making it stand for its cultural resemblance. With narrow surfaces on the ground and more spacious ones on the higher floors, the building now serves as a mixture of residential and commercial space that accentuates the overall value of its surroundings.
2) Fondazione Prada
Fondazione Prada is a conglomerate of an unusual diversity of spatial arrangements that come together to serve a single multi-purpose function. Recreated and constructed over an abandoned industrial site, this space now serves as an institute dedicated to creating and displaying culture. It hosts multi-disciplinary exhibitions and philosophical talks about architecture and design projects.
The unpredictable shift from the industrial space to now an art-centred institution livens up an exceptional architectural gesture that provides an artist with the minimalist form of an encasement that acts as a blank canvas for an artist’s ideology to be explored.
3) MUDEC
To preserve the history and culture of Milan, the Milan City council formed a partnership between the private and public sectors to create, with this partnership, a space that respects the identity of every individual and meets the demands of cultural requirements. The formed product of which was a cultural hub that comprised not only a museum or an exhibition facility but also a design store, a cafe, a restaurant, and a public car park.
The facility, spanning over an area of 17000 square meters, offers a range of cultural events in the form of games, multimedia equipment, and manual workshops that create an immersive environment for all visitors and the city to explore.
4) San Siro Stadium
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza or San Siro football stadium, serves as a common ground for the citizen of Milan to support and cheer for their football clubs, namely A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. In a city so highly regarded for its entertainment sector, football is relied upon as a requisite part that generates a massive part of the cash flow and supports the economy like no other.
Known to be the largest stadium in Italy, the structure holds a seating capacity for over 80000 people. With the recent development and construction of the third ring over 11 cylindrical towers made of reinforced concrete, new spaces were created to provide access to the stands and various services independent of the whole structure.
5) Bosco Verticale
Designed by the Boeri Studio, Bosco Verticale features the verticality of a couple of high-rise buildings. Spanning the vertical length of about 111 meters (364 ft) and 76 meters (249 ft), the towers boast the plantation of more than 900 trees (approximately 550 and 350 in the first and second towers, respectively) throughout the facade of the tower.
As said by the architect, the aim was to build a green building that uses renewable energy from solar panels to supply the residents’ needs and to create a filtration system to reuse the wastewater to water the plants. Such sustainable solutions, when met with the right technology, reduce the amount of overall waste produced and decrease the carbon footprint efficiently. The initial problem faced by the designers was to incorporate the concept of urban forestation in the structural framework of this design, which included the placement and selection of trees and plants that suited well with the environment and created a safe environment. It also seemed difficult for them to counteract the wind flow and place and align the trees so they don’t hinder the inner circulation. These problems were solved by carrying out several experiments and consulting numerous professionals.
Hence, by the combined effort of all, this concept shaped its structural reality.
References and Citation-
Architectural Digest (2022). 25 Must-See Architectural Landmarks in Milan. [online]. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/milan-architectural-landmarks [Accessed: 11 December 2022].
Torre Velasca-
Wikipedia (2022). Torre Velasca. [online]. (Last updated: 2021). Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_Velasca [Accessed: 11 December 2022].
Fondazione Prada-
Wikipedia (2022). Fondazione Prada. [online]. (Last updated: March 2022). Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fondazione_Prada [Accessed: 11 December 2022].
Archello (2022). Fondazione Prada. [online]. Available at: https://archello.com/project/fondazione-prada [Accessed: 11 December 2022].
MUDEC-
MUDEC (2022). Museo delle Culture, Milano. [online]. Available at: https://www.mudec.it/eng/museum/ [Accessed: 11 December 2022].
San Siro Stadium-
Wikipedia (2022). San Siro. [online]. (Last updated: October 2022). Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Siro [Accessed: 11 December 2022].
Bosco Verticale-
Wikipedia (2022). Bosco Verticale. [online]. (Last updated: August 2022). Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosco_Verticale [Accessed: 11 December 2022].
