Pirelli Tower

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Pirelli Tower (Italian: Grattacielo Pirelli - also called "Pirellone"), is a prominent building in Milan, Italy.

In 1950 Alberto Pirelli, the president of the Pirelli Company, required that a skyscraper be built in the original area where the first factory was constructed in the 19th century. The project was developed by architect Gio Ponti, with the assistance by Pier Luigi Nervi and Arturo Danusso.

At 127.1 meters (417 feet), it is the tallest building in the city and was built of concrete (est. 60,000 tons). Construction of the tower began in 1956 in a time that Italy was experiencing an economic boom. The tower was to be surrounded by low lying buildings on a pectagonal plot of land. Upon its completion in 1958, it became one of the symbols of Milan and of the national economical recovery. The building was later sold to the Lombardy region, of which is now the head office. Architectural historian Hasan-Uddin Khan praised it as 'one of the most elegant tall buildings in the world' and as one of the 'few tall European buildings [that made] statements that added to the vocabulary of the skyscraper'.

[edit] Plane crash

Main article: 2002 Pirelli Tower plane crash

Pirelli tower (east side) six days after a small plane crashed into the 26th floor

The building was hit by a single engine airplane, a Swiss registered Rockwell Commander 112 around late afternoon on April 18, 2002. The aircraft was apparently expected to fly from Locarno to Milan. The plane was low on fuel, and Linate Airport was preparing an emergency landing prior to the crash, but the pilot suddenly wandered off and flew right into the building. He and two lawyers were killed in the incident. The pilot, a Swiss, was in trouble with the police and may have committed suicide.