RSG Architects/Engineers, Renato Sarno, Alessia Sarno, Enrico Gianni · Ex Grattacielo Pirelli_Ristrutturazione e Restauro Conservativo

Alessia Sarno

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The Pirelli’s building constitutes an only image and unmistakable a figurative element in sky-lines of the Lombardic city. Localized in a strategic area, in front of to the Central station of Milan , measure a height of approximately 130 m, with the two main prospects enclosed between the `stung' two struc-tural elements in covered reinforced concrete with covering of mosaic of ceramics tiles.
The skyscraper 31st last floor is characterized from a double height space, where a beautiful 360 de-grees panorama is had on the city. The building structures remain at sight and supports the thin flat reinforced concrete cover forming an aureole detached from the below plan.
The base of the tower, detached from the land and the surrounding buildings, defines two inner roads creating two elements:
-the first one, the hill, on Duca d’Aosta public square formes a raised large square of access to the building. Underneatht is located the Regional Council room of the Lombardy and the Auditorium.

the second, the low building, consists of a construction that encircles a side of the tower and it is opened on via Filzi, it is the entrance to the building of employs and visitors. The restoration plan has been founded on the knowledge that the Pirelli building is a monument of the modern architecture, between higher the artistic expressions of the slid century, perfect integration of art, architecture, engineering, technology and constructive wisdom, it is the result of the job of masters of the time which were Giò Ponti and Pierluigi Nervi, completed between 1955 and 1960. On the base of this task it begins them has founded the intention to conserve the architectonic and technical value of the monument. Inside of the restoration plan they have been characterizes two moments: 1-The conservation defined from the rigorous restoration aimed to keep the existing authentic parts and participations aimed to replace only the damaged parts. 2-The Functional recovery that it has given back to the building the full formal and functional visibility and it has rendered the representative character of the building in how much center of the Lombardy Region more visible. The challenge to the restoration of the modern one is begun with a careful analysis, thanks to cor-rected and punctual operations of relief, of the state of conservation of all the skyscraper. The guidelines for the functional recovery of the skyscraper were to give back integrity to the monu-ment renewing some of the functions of the Directional Offices of the Lombardy Region through a better distribution and visibility, characterizing spaces of job and improving the inner comfort, introducing new services of support and arrange new technological system, through also opening it to the public for institutional manifestations and representation. The final object has been to bring the Pirelli Building in the third millenium like a CENTER of Milan, of the institutions, of the job and of the culture. Therefore the requirement has been that one of a new order of function in institutional spaces, for conferences and meetings, for the communication, museum and expositions. The new ones layout have been study in order to give again to the skyscraper its three main charac-teristics: the structural line, the trasparency , the architectonic unit between architectonic organism and furnishings. For the facades restoration all the methodologies from science of the restoration have been applied in order to pursue the conservation and to give back efficiency to the curtain wall, the widespread sur-face covered in ceramic mosaic of marbled color , to less widespread surfaces finished in brushed plaster or hammered Carrara marble and also the aluminium cantilever roofs on the Duca d’Aosta public square. Although the skyscraper was a modern building, therefore the materials and the employed construc-tive solutions in the building constituted a innovation for the discipline of the restoration, it is pro-ceeded to its restructure and conservation respecting the methodology of the principles of the restoration resorting to operations experiences and innovative puttinges to point with specialist collaborations. As far as the aluminium and glass curtain wall of the “tower” is proceeded to the accurate taking apart of aluminium section finalized to the recovery of single element; the glass pain, the fillings of joints and the heater strip that they had lost efficiency and functionality it has been replaced in opportune way with materials of new invoice that have not altered the aspect and the operation of the curtain wall. Therefore like the curtain wall, also the covering in mosaic of ceramic tile represents an irreplaceable aspect of the architectonic work. It is proceeded therefore to cleaning interventions, superficial consolidation and protection of covering in work, giving again brilliance dimmed from decades of maintenance absence. Photo by RSGsrl, Brunetti e IDRA photo