"Architecture is a Crystal": Milan and its new skyline

The main railway station of Milan, in its current appearance, was initially designed in 1912 by Ulisse Stacchini and completed in 1931, after a long stop due to World War I. It features a massive entrance pavilion, characterized by a blend of Liberty, neoclassicism and eclecticism; through this, the passengers can access to the platforms, covered by an impressive iron and glass structure, 341 metres long, reaching a height of 33 metres in its central span.

This amazingly elegant skyscraper was designed by the Italian architect Giò Ponti and built between 1956 and 1961. With a rooftop height of 127 metres, it held the record for the tallest European building until 1966, while it was unsurpassed in Milan until the construction of nearby Palazzo Lombardia. The extremely tight proportion between transversal width and height involved a sophisticated calculation of structures, managed by the genius engineer Pier Luigi Nervi. With its distinguishing silhouette, the tower is still one of the symbols of Milan.

Built between 2007 and 2010, this articulated complex includes a 161 metres tall skyscraper and, at the ground floor, the largest covers square in the world. This square features a kindergarten, an auditorium, a post office, several restaurants and coffee bars. Besides, it often hosts happenings and events

Designed by the Italian architects of Studio Boeri and built between 2009 and 2014, this building stands as the manifesto a of a sustainable, innovative metropolitan architecture. Its elevations, on all sides, feature more than 2.000 arboreal varieties, instead of the widely used curtain walls that characterize such buildings. Between 2014 and 2015, the Vertical Forest has been awarded as "Best Skyscraper in the world" and "Best architecture worldwide 2015", also entering the top 50 ranking of the most iconic tall buildings of all times.

This circular, 100 metres-wide elevated square is the heart of the massive redesign of the whole area of "Porta Nuova". It lays at the feet of Unicredit Tower, built between 2009 and 2012, being the tallest skyscraper in Italy with its overall height of 218 metres (including the spire).