The Tower is Turin’s second tallest structure at 166m, stopping intentionally short of the spire of the historic Mole Antonelliana. The tower’s architecture expresses structural engineering throughout – for example through the six exposed ‘megacloumns’, which are part of the lateral stability system. The tower provides excellent new public spaces for Turin: a roof-top glass-house with views across the city and beyond to the Alps, plus a suspended auditorium and public space at street level. Architect Renzo Piano said: “The building must become part of the daily life of the city.”
It is increasingly rare these days for a tall building to impress the engineering fraternity. The Intesa SanPaolo Tower in Turin, however, received almost unanimous praise from the judges for the creative way in which the structural solutions not only complemented the architectural form, but added significantly to the overall building aesthetic in a light and elegant manner. The structure also contributes strongly to the building’s overall exemplary sustainability, using passive cooling both from the floor plates and groundwater stored in the raft foundation.