Palazzo Lombardia
Inspired by the interweaving mountains, rivers and valleys indicative of Italy’s Lombardy region.
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Project Details
Architizer, A+ Award - Government Buildings, 2015
AIA New York State Chapter, Award of Excellence, 2013
CTBUH, Best Tall Building Europe, 2012
Chicago Athenaeum / European Centre, International Architecture Award, 2012
Urban Land Institute, Finalist - Global Awards for Excellence, 2012
NCSEA, Excellence in Structural Engineering, 2011
Structural Elegance in a High Seismic Zone
Inspired by the interweaving mountains, rivers and valleys indicative of Italy’s Lombardy region, the award-winning Palazzo Lombardia houses the Lombardy Regional Government’s headquarters, down the street from its former headquarters in the famous Pirelli Tower. The massive project includes fivenine-story, wave-like buildings. An iconic 43-story tower was, upon completion, briefly the tallest building in Italy. The complex also features rooftop gardens, open-air and interconnected public plazas between the buildings, and a large piazza enclosed by an innovative roof structure.
We provided structural design services through design development to Pei Cobb Freed & Partners for the complex, which opened in 2011.
Palazzo Lombardia in Milan, Italy.
Simon Hsu photo
Highlights
- One of the key structural challenges was the curving shape of the low-rise buildings, which made coordination between form and function more complicated than in a structure with conventional geometry.
- Our engineers met early on with the architect to work out the column grids and found the solution that optimized structural efficiency and supported architectural priorities.
- At the heart of the complex, the piazza is topped by a curving diagrid of steel tubes supporting a transparent membrane of ETFE pillows.
- Because it connects to four separate buildings, each of which could move independently during a seismic event, the roof needed to be able to withstand simultaneous movement in multiple directions.
- We employed parametric modeling to identify the best balance between appearance and performance and developed a two-fold approach.
In a city known for history and fashion, the tower is perfectly attuned to the urban environment. More than simply a tower, the project creates a cohesive blend of parks and commercial space, with an appropriately local flair.
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