Torre Velasca

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Torre Velasca (Velasca Tower) by BBPR, 1958
Piazza Velasca
Milan, November 2016

“The Velasca Tower is part of the first generation of Italian modern architecture, while still being part of the Milanese context in which it was born, to which also belongs the Milan Cathedral and the Sforza Castle. The tower, approximately 100 metres tall, has a peculiar and characteristic mushroom-like shape. It stands out in the city skyline, made of domes, buildings and other towers. Its structure recalls the Lombard tradition, made of medieval fortresses and towers, each having a massive profile. In such fortresses, the lower parts were always narrower, while the higher parts propped up by wooden boards or stone beams. As a consequence, the shape of this building is the result of a modern interpretation of the typical Italian medieval castle.[citation needed] At the same time, BBPR in this building satisfied the functional needs of space: narrower surfaces on the ground, wider and more spacious ones on the top floors. The town planning laws, then, imposed specific volumes (depending on the buildings' purpose); in this tower, the latter being the mixed functions of residential and commercial use.” (Torre Velasca, Wikipedia)