A book, an exhibition, a digital platform

Skyscraper Stories

The Skyscraper Stories project – with a book, an exhibition and a digital platform – was included in the Theoretical, Historical and Critical Research and Editorial Projects section of the 2021 ADI Index and selected for the 27th Compasso d’Oro Award, the prestigious event launched in 1954 based on an idea by Gio Ponti, which rewards the best design products.   The aim of the project was to celebrate the modernity of Lombard technology and industry, and of the institution of the Region and of the cutting-edge urban planning of “The City Rises “which is best expressed in Milan. The project was curated by the Pirelli Foundation with the architect Alessandro Colombo, and promoted by Lombardy Region and its government and council, as well as by the Pirelli Foundation, with the contribution of Pirelli and the FNM Group.   As well as browsing within the virtual tour viewers can also learn more about the content of the exhibition through the texts and images on this site.

The entrance

The exhibition opens with a model of the building from the Gio Ponti Archives, placed in front of a large wall that welcomes visitors as they come out of the lifts on the “memory” floor, the 26th. They are greeted by a reproduction of a sketch by Ponti himself, which sums up his vision of Milan, of which the Pirellone is still an undisputed landmark.

INDUSTRIALISATION AND MODERNITY IN ARCHITECTURE

The pictures and information concerning the construction of the tower tell the story of the brilliant design by Gio Ponti and the various construction phases of this reinforced concrete building that is a celebration of “finished form”.

THE INTERIORS, THE DESIGN, AND WORK IN THE TOWER

The ground-breaking design was not just on the outside, for the interiors of the tower adopted the latest criteria along extremely modern lines: the lifts, air conditioning, and open spaces were just some of the innovations that make the building unique also on the inside.

CULTURE AND LIFESTYLES IN A METROPOLIS ON THE MOVE

During the post-war Reconstruction, Milan was the driving force behind the new start and at the heart of the economic miracle. “The City Rises”, aspiring to be on a par with the new European capitals.

THE PIRELLONE BECOMES THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS

It was 1978 when the building became the symbol of a new institution: that of Lombardy Region. A new chapter opened for the Tower and still today it is the seat of the Council of Lombardy Region.

A TIMELINE

A timeline accompanies the visitor through these 60 years of history, retracing the most important events of Italian and international history from 1956 to the present day.