Italian icon given new lease on life
Stefano Boeri Architetti, along with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, are leading the overhaul of a 1950s Pirelli office building in Milan, and building a new plant-lined timber tower beside it.
Pirellii Tower’s poor environmental performance and seismic protection meant it was deemed unsuitable for use in 2015, but the planned Pirelli 39 saves the building from demolition by adapting it to current standards.
As the winning entry of a competition by real estate developer COIMA, the adaptive reuse of a heritage building also responds to the challenges of the climate crisis, and forms part of a sustainability-focused wider regeneration of the area.
The planned overhaul of a 1950’s Italian icon.
Manfredi Catella, founder and CEO of COIMA, comments, “in light of the health emergency, I believe that the regeneration is key in the strategic relaunch of Italy from a cultural, environmental, social and economic point of view.”
The new timber tower of apartments will be the focal point of the development. Wrapped in 1,770 square-metres of green walls, it will change colour with the seasons, and is expected to absorb 14 tons of carbon dioxide per year, while also producing nine tons of oxygen.
The multi-storey glasshouse bridge.
This is equivalent to 10,000 square-metres of forest.2,770 square-metres of photovoltaic panels mean that the building can generate at least 65% of its energy needs, and timber has been used because of its low carbon footprint and high rate of sequestered carbon.
The existing building will be adapted to meet Next Generation EU standards, maintaining its character while being adjusted structurally, and updating its energy performance and plant equipment. In this way the designers enable the reuse of the original building rather than a demolition and reconstruction.
Pirellii Tower’s poor environmental performance and seismic protection meant it was deemed unsuitable for use in 2015.
These two buildings are linked by a sinuous, multi-storey glass bridge that contains a greenhouse and events space. Spanning the Via Melchiorre Gioia, one of Milan’s main roads, the inside will become a new hub for shows and exhibitions, with a biodiverse greenhouse intended as an extension of the adjacent Biblioteca degli Alberi.
Stefano Boeri, founder of Stefano Boeri Architetti, says that this project will, “reinvigorate the iconic former Pirellino building, creating a new tower that mixes architecture and nature to create a green space that is open to the whole city. In such a difficult period, this project relaunches the vision of a forward-looking Milan and bravely faces the great challenges of the climate crisis.”
The planned Pirelli 39 saves the building from demolition by adapting it to current standards.