The botanical tower by Stefano Boeri and Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Pirelli 39

There is something of New York's High Line and a lot of Milan's nearby Bosco Verticale in the project that will add a new element to Porta Nuova. The renderings show the new Pirellino for offices, the Botanical Tower for apartments and the Serra Bridge as a green and public space. The international architectural competition was launched on November 25, 2019, by Manfredi Catella’s Coima Sgr, which became the owner of the former City Planning building thanks to a million-dollar auction (€193 million). The winning restyling project is signed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) and Stefano Boeri Architetti. 

The urban regeneration conceived by the two architectural firms reinterprets the Pirellino, which will not be demolished, in terms of sustainable innovation. The bridge building on Via Gioia will become a hub at the service of the city, an open space for events, art and design exhibitions, exhibitions and wellness points such as the High Line and will become an extension of the Library of Trees. The Torre Botanica will take up the concept of Bosco Verticale, “but with the canons of classic Italian gardens,” explained Stefano Boeri. The new tower will have 1,700 square meters of vegetation, distributed on the floors so that the blooms change the colors of the building as the seasons change. The ‘forest’ will absorb 14 tons of CO2 and produce nine tons of oxygen per year, on a par with a forest of 10 thousand square meters. If the project will have the final green light of Palazzo Marino, the works will last 4 years.