The CityLife district of Milan is the result of the largest urban redevelopment programme in Europe: with the repurposing of the old trade fair area of Portello, within the space of a few years the city has gained a unique district that has already become iconic. The gaze is immediately drawn to the CityLife Milan skyscrapers, that is, the three protagonists of Piazza Tre Torri (Piazza Three Towers), the true beating heart of this ultra-modern district of Milan. These giants have swiftly altered the city skyline, becoming a new centre of interest for visitors to Milan.
CityLife district of Milan: what was there before
As all the Milanese know, the present CityLife district stands on the site that was once home to the city’s trade fair area, which was moved to Rho-Pero for Expo 2015. CityLife should have been mostly finished by the same year, but various delays led to the postponement of the handover of the project. Until a few years ago, the site showed the evolution of the Fiera Campionaria (Trade Fair), which was inaugurated in 1923 and was gradually expanded over time. When it was decided to move the exhibition district outside the city – a decision taken in 2006 – the discussion moved on to projects for regenerating the area: the main objective was to connect the district with the rest of the urban fabric, creating an area of striking architecture and green spaces.
Piazza Tre Torri in the CityLife district
The epicentre of this brand new district is the CityLife towers: three gigantic towers that border Piazza Tre Torri, which is named after these skyscrapers, in fact. Let us take a closer look at the features of these three ultra-high buildings.
Torre Isozaki: the Isozaki tower is the tallest skyscraper in Italy in terms of the number of floors, consisting of 50 in total; at 209 metres, it is second as regards overall height after the Torre Unicredit, also in Milan, which reaches 231 metres, “aided” by its spire. Designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, in collaboration with Italian architect Andrea Maffei, it was inaugurated in 2015, after 3 years of construction work. This post-modernist building has been nicknamed “Il dritto” (The Straight One) which immediately distinguishes it from the other two towers in CityLife; among the features that make it unique are the four support stirrups that anchor the skyscraper to the ground in front and to the rear of the building, which has undulating surfaces on both the front and back. The owner of the building is Allianz, which has installed its offices in the building, accommodating a total of 2,800 of the group’s employees. As it is now the highest roof in the city, Torre Isozaki has followed tradition by erecting a faithful copy of the cathedral’s statue of the Madonna on its roof.
Torre Hadid: the second tallest CityLife skyscraper, also called the Torre Generali (after its owner) or “Lo storto” (The Crooked One) because of its unusual shape, was designed by the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. The total height of the building, taking into consideration the additional height added by the Generali sign, is 192 metres, while the roof is 177 metres high. There are 44 floors, 39 of which are used for offices. The construction work took place between 2014 and 2017, with the official inauguration only taking place in 2019. The key characteristic of the Torre Hadid is its twisting movement, starting from the base and gradually attenuating as it approaches the top, where it achieves perfect verticality. The skyscraper is directly connected with the nearby shopping centre.
Libeskind Tower: also called the PwC tower because of its owner, or “The Curved One” because of its overall shape, this skyscraper is 175 metres high. The fact that it curves back on itself makes this building striking, and gives those on the highest floors the impression of floating in the void. The building was designed by US architect Daniel Libeskind: its lines suggest the presence of an ideal sphere that wraps around and contains the Piazza Tre Torri. It was the last building constructed inside the CityLife Business District and its 30 floors are also dedicated to office space.
CityLife Shopping District
The CityLife skyscrapers are definitely the chief attraction of Milan’s CityLife district. But the district does not consist only of the Piazza Tre Torri and its buildings. There is also the CityLife Shopping District for example, a commercial centre that is accessed through a spacious pedestrian area furnished with large green steel basins. Inside the mall are 7 cinemas, 20 restaurants and over 80 shops; the covered part was designed by Zaha Hadid, while the open air promenade was designed by the Mario Galantino studio, in minimalist style.
The CityLife residences in Milan
As we have seen, the CityLife skyscrapers in Milan are occupied by office space. So the district has also built and continues to build residential buildings. Specifically, there are 8 residence buildings designed by Daniel Libeskind and a further 7 designed by Zaha Hadid: the former are gently sloping, while the latter are sinuous in appearance. We should add that not all of the old exhibition centre was eliminated; the Palazzo delle Scintille, or the former Pavilion 3, is still there, designed in 1923 by Paolo Vietti Violi with obvious Art Nouveau features.
City Wave: the dual building with a wave-like structure
The last important piece of CityLife will be City Wave, a dual building with a wave-like structure featuring a central covered piazza. The project is designed by the Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group, and the works began in 2021, with the handover scheduled for 2025. The key concepts will be sustainability and quality of life: so the complex will be supplied only by renewable energy sources, with both buildings completely covered with photovoltaic panels. At the highest part of the wave, in the West part, City Wave will accommodate 20 floors above ground; the tallest part of the East segment will have 10 floors.
