Milan Porta Nuova, two years of construction in 150 seconds: how the "Vertical Nest" is growing (ready in 2022)
Offices, commercial spaces, an auditorium with over 270 seats, and a panoramic greenhouse-garden with an area dedicated to hosting public and cultural events: here is the Unipol skyscraper designed by Mario Cucinella
Someone flew over the "Vertical Nest." Entering the Milan skyline is the steel dome of the Unipol Tower in Porta Nuova, the insurance group's skyscraper — designed by starchitect Mario Cucinella — soaring toward a height of 120 meters with a total surface area of 35,000 square meters across 23 floors above ground (and three underground). To distribute the weight of the tower, built over the subway line, it had to be rested on an orthotropic plate with three planes of symmetry: 750 tons of steel, measuring 45 by 14 meters (here is the timelapse video, copyright Alberto Fanelli).
Steel, wood, and glass. A mesh geometry, a "metaphor for the system of relationships." Its destiny: offices, commercial spaces, an auditorium with over 270 seats, and a panoramic greenhouse-garden with an area dedicated to hosting public and cultural events. The Unipol Tower by Mario Cucinella Architects will be completed in 2022 and is part of the Porta Nuova redevelopment plan. The elliptical (and futuristic) shaped tower has been dubbed the "Vertical Nest." A skyscraper with the specs and characteristics for Leed Platinum certification: a "double skin" that insulates the building in winter and limits overheating in summer, solar panels, and a dual system for rainwater harvesting.
Here is the video detailing the construction of the Unipol Tower: the creator is Alberto Fanelli, a professional specialized in long-term timelapses.
