Project Focus: World's Most Beautiful Skyscraper in 'Porta Nuova' Milan

Under construction since the late 2000s and developed by international property development firm Arup with a total area of 1.4 million square feet, Porta Nuova represents the main business district of Milan, Italy and is planned to contain over 20 high rise buildings upon completion.

Within the large precinct there are three main buildings:

• Porta Nuova Garibaldi

• Porta Nuova Varesine

• Porta Nuova Isola

After receiving the international prize in Frankfurt (International Highrise Award) in 2014 and success in China, the Vertical Forest (above) designed and planned by Boeri Studio (Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra) and managed by COIMA SGR, in Porta Nuova Isola in Milan, was honored in the United States, as the most innovative and beautiful skyscraper on the planet.

Porta Nuovo translates to “new gate”, named after the well-preserved Napoleonic gate built on the site in the early 1800s.

These three office towers and their podium are the largest components of Porta Nuova Garibaldi, a mixed-use development north of Milan’s city center. Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects designed the master plan for the 7-hectare development, which creates a new and grand gateway to the city. The towers—31, 22, and 11 stories tall—include Italy’s tallest building, visible from more than six miles away.

Spiralling upward, the 31-story asymmetrical tower culminates in a sculptural stainless steel spire. Like the two smaller towers, the building is clad in reflective glass. Their narrow, curved forms enclose a circular piazza, a new public space that links the buildings to their surroundings. Facing the piazza, the facades incorporate sunshades emphasising the building's fluid shape.

At the street level, the towers are clad in stone. Around the piazza, a glass-and-steel, ring-shaped canopy connects the podiums of the three towers. Two levels of shops are above the piazza, with additional retail and dining at the sunken level. In addition to retail, the combined podium contains parking and a direct connection to the Stazione Garibaldi rail station. Extending south, the piazza meets Corso Como, a pedestrian street with shops and cafes.

Each of the buildings is certified LEED Gold. Energy consumption will be reduced by 37 percent through high-performance glazing, advanced building systems, high efficiency lighting and daylight controls. Inside the buildings, filtered outside air and temperature monitoring systems will create a comfortable working environment. In addition, a direct line of daylight will reach 90 percent of the occupied areas.

The project in Porta Nuova Isola involves the redevelopment of an area that has been historically dedicated to light industrial and craft activities. 70 per cent of the area had recently been assigned as a public park.

In 2015 Bloomberg reported that Qatar Investment Authority agreed to buy the 60 percent of Milan’s new Porta Nuova business district it doesn’t already own. The property is valued at more than 2 billion euros.

Also according to Bloomberg, more than 80 percent of Porta Nuova’s offices have been rented, while more than 60 percent of its luxury homes have been sold.