milan's rainbow tower is clad with over 100,000 ceramic tiles

milan’s rainbow tower is clad with over 100,000 ceramic tiles
all images courtesy of torre arcobaleno

clad with more than 100,000 colored ceramic tiles, the remodeling of milan’s distinctive torre arcobaleno, or ‘rainbow tower’, has been completed. originally built in 1964, the structure was saved from demolition in 1990 with the aim of promoting a sense of pride in the city’s industrial architecture. now, torre arcobaleno has become a highly significant building for milan, serving a distinctive symbol of the italian city’s vibrancy and creativity.

prior to its renovation, the 35 meter-tall structure had fallen into disrepair with its concrete shell crumbling. the idea behind the restoration was to highlight the tower’s rotund concave shape, divided into twenty-two faces and interrupted by an equal number of ribs. the ceramic covering was achieved using 10×10 cm tiles, available in 14 different colors. the material was particularly suitable for the purpose owing to its resistance to atmospheric agents and pollutants, and the visual impact of its chromatic variations.

originally built in 1964, the structure was saved from demolition in 1990

completed in time for expo 2015, the project was the collaborative effort of a number of companies, including bazzea, condor, fila solutions, mapei and marazzi. the scheme was prepared and organized by the architecture division of the milan firm original designers 6R5 network, represented by francesco roggero, albino pozzi, rita alfano roggero and kiyoto ishimoto. renovated in just 71 days, the rainbow tower is seen as an expression of the desire to inhabit our planet intelligently, creating a harmony between technology, nature, innovation and tradition.

the idea behind the restoration was to highlight the tower’s concave shape

the ceramic covering was achieved using 10×10 cm tiles, available in 14 different colors

the material was particularly suitable for the purpose owing to its resistance to atmospheric agents

torre arcobaleno has become a highly significant building for milan