Have you ever wondered where to experience a more futuristic Milan? How is the city reinventing itself, how does a contemporary Milan look like? The answer is City Life: three Towers, three stories. And much more.
I know, we are all in love with the small romantic cobbled streets of Italy and the old atmosphere, but I’m telling you, this area is worth experiencing!
The main reason why? This area is meant to be the new image of Milan everywhere in the World!
CityLife, also known as Tre Torri (Three Towers) is an amazing residential and commercial complex with wide open boulevards (one of the largest in the city and in Europe!).
People lay on the grass or perform sports under the skyscrapers and it’s a place where you can breathe and walk freely in the large open area.
The combination of futuristic architecture with nature is impressive and always gives me chills. I experience the same city from a completely different perspective.
Projected by the incredibly talented architects Arata Isozaki, Andrea Maffei, Zaha Hadid and Daniel Libeskind, this district feels like a city on its own.
It’s very difficult for me not to spend my entire day walking around when I get there, especially because I am fascinated by the clean lines and plants of the beautiful Hadid Residencies.
Let’s discover some of the coolest places in this magnificent area and my absolute favorite:
Fieramilano is one of the most important exhibition centers in Europe.
Since 2005, here are held made in Italy business and international events.
In 2015, it was the stage for Expo.
What about the Three Towers? They are:
Torre Isozaki - known as the Endless Tower
Inaugurated in 2018, the Allianz Tower’s also known as the Endless Tower is the tallest of the three and was designed by the architects Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei.
What do a 50 floors tower and a Romanian artist from 1930 have in common? The architects took inspiration from Constantin Brancusi’s most famous sculpture: The Endless Column.
“Located in Targu Jiu in Romania, the sculpture “symbolizes the concept of infinity and the infinite sacrifice of the Romanian soldiers” [1]
In a futuristic place, we always find recalls or reinterpretations of the past architects and their works.
“The inspiration of a skyscraper heading towards infinite was applied to the tower in order to “apply the concept of a modular system that can be repeated in an infinite way with any limit.” [2]
Cool fact: on top of Duomo Cathedral there is a statue of Virgin Mary named Madoninna. Here, we have a faithful copy of it located on the rooftop of the tower, looking over the city as well!
Torre Libeskind – known as the Curved tower
This tower has the name of its architect: Daniel Libeskind (exponent of deconstrutivism, and architect of one of the tallest buildings in the world like One World Trade Center in New Work).
Being the shortest of the three, it still has an impressive 175 meters and 28 floors. Its dynamic shape always fascinates me!
"On top of the new CityLife tower stands a 40 meter high crown, a geometrically perfect dome segment in steel and glass, inspired by those of the Italian Renaissance, which will house maintenance systems, air conditioning systems and a for the recycling of rainwater. " [3]
Torre Hadid - known as the Twisted tower
It’s the second tallest tower, reaching 192 meters together with the logo of Generali. Also known as Lo Storto (the Twisted), it has 44 floors.
Designed by the architect Zaha Hadid, the project followed “the highest international standards of environmental sustainability.
The use of renewable energy sources through a photovoltaic system and the 100% supply of certified green energy contributed to the achievement of the LEED Platinum certification level at the end of the construction.” [4]
The public park
The future is not only about better, sustainable architecture. It’s about being able to live closer with nature, and paying the respect it deserves.
Being in a park where 2000 new trees were planted is a delight and a confirmation of these ideals.
And I have to admit; I can stay in nature for a long time, and never get bored! Each and every plant, flower, tree or green space offers me so much.
Taking the time to lay down on the grass amongst the skyscrapers makes me feel I’m experiencing the same Milan, but better.
Being one of the biggest green spaces in the city, the park generates important environmental and climatic effects for everyone.
Clean lines, large space, sustainable architecture and a good mood of the local community makes this place special.
I took my time to admire the Quatro Stagioni (Four Seasons) fountain, located in Piazza Giulio Cesare.
I made a tour around it and enjoyed the statues representing the seasons.
This historical fountain bridges the gap between the classic and contemporary era.
In the area there are as well flower and vegetable gardens, chicken and wines.
Who wouldn’t enjoy the morning song of the roosters near the ultimate skyscrapers offices?
References:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculptural_Ensemble_of_Constantin_Br%C3%A2ncu%C8%99i_at_T%C3%A2rgu_Jiu.
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