Unipol Group new headquarters
The Architectural Competition for the new Unipol Group Headquarters represents a very important occasion within the architectural development of the city of Milan due to the great ambition of the objectives expressed by the clients and also for the exceptional prestige of the location.
The project area is, in fact, the last crucial piece of the great project of Porta Nuova urban redevelopment, that in recent years, more than any other helped to renew and qualify the image of the city of Milan, providing it with a modern financial district at the height of the most important European capitals. Within this frame, the new UnipolSai Headquarters represents a further step towards the future. Thanks to an elegant and functional design that’s the result of a rigorous project development, the tower stands out by the varied architectural landscape that surrounds it. Every element of the building, from volume to façade, from interior to public spaces around the structures, contributes to the creation of an efficient machine, without giving anything to the pure formalism.
Courtesy of Mario Cucinella Architects
The elliptical shape allows the tower to fit into an already densely built up contest. It has 22 floors above ground – plus 3 underground floors -, and reaches a height of almost 100 meters and has a total area of 35,000 square meters. A large atrium 75 meters high on the south side of the tower is the main access and acts as a climate moderation space, able to take advantage of the exposure as an energy opportunity.
Courtesy of Mario Cucinella Architects
The external double skin casing is designed as a dynamic system, able to insulate the building in the winter and, at the same time, to limit overheating in summer. It’s geometry, optimizing the front surface, also contributes to ensuring the energy efficiency of the tower.
The same casing ends in a large sail made of steel and glass, characterizing element of the building, which not only mitigates the action of the weather, but it gives the city a new open space of exceptional richness and quality. The path that connects the entrance on Via Melchiorre Gioia to Piazza Gae Aulenti, favors the creation of a system of pedestrian connections of extraordinary visual quality. All these peculiar features plus the use of solar panels on the facade and a dual system for the collection of rainwater, allow the building to aim for LEED Platinum certification.
Courtesy of Mario Cucinella Architects
The façade, with its network-shaped geometry, is also a metaphor of the web-like system of social relationships and is essential for the construction of the image nature of the building. Made of steel, wood, and glass the tower will host commercial spaces, a major auditorium of over 270 places, offices and a panoramic roof garden with a space for meetings and host public cultural events.
Courtesy of Mario Cucinella Architects
Project Info
Architects: Mario Cucinella Architects
Location: Milan, Italy
Team: Mario Cucinella, Michele Olivieri, Maria Persichella (BIM Manager), Augusto Barichello, Damiano Comini, Fabrizio Bonatti
Management: Giulia Floriani, Eugenio Roncacci.
Structure: Ing. Massimo Majowoecki
M&E Engineering: Deerns Italia S.p.A.
Fire Security: Ing. Giuseppe Amaro
Year: 2015
Type: Office Building
