Torre Velasca, built in 1956\u20131958 to the design of Studio BBPR, is the building that made the greatest change to the Milan skyline during the city\u2019s postwar reconstruction.
\nThe tower is considered a symbol of the economic boom for the originality of its urban image, its exceptional size, expressive strength and novel mix of antiquity and modernity, whose material aspect and visual language evoke the ancient shapes of Lombard architecture.
\nStanding out from the urban context, the immediate recognizability of its profile has made Torre Velasca a Milanese icon, a modern monument suspended between old and new, sky and earth.
\nThe tower\u2019s famous shape, a shaft topped by a cantilevered block, is a deliberately Italian interpretation of the high-rise building type, a refusal to simply adopt a skyscraper model from overseas<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1742407160269{background-color: #25408f !important;}” padding_bottom=”60″][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84429″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]TORRE VELASCA<\/span><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”18px”][vc_column_text]Architecture by Studio BBPR (Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso, Enrico Peressutti and Ernesto Nathan Rogers)
\nStructure by Arturo Danusso
\n1950\u20131958 (design and construction)
\nPiazza Velasca 5, Milan<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”18″ down=”0″][vc_column_text]From the very early design phases, Torre Velasca stood out for its unique form, soon becoming a landmark of of the Milanese skyline.
\nThe structure was built in reinforced concrete: a 60-metre-high trunk, designated for offices, rises and then receives a 3-metre cantilever on all 4 sides. This widening forms a new volume, 30 metres high, for apartments.
\nThe building consists of 29 storeys in total and at the foot of the tower lies an outward-projecting 2-storey volume hosting shops and the entrance foyer on the ground floor. The first floor offers exhibition space and commercial space linked to the shops.
\nOn the outside, the building is crowned by the 25th-floor terrace with its final sequence of pillars surrounding a large roof cladded with copper sheeting.
\nThe facades of Torre Velasca are masonry-based, featuring trilobed pillars and decorative concrete panels in warm tones. The modular arrangement of the openings becomes more irregular in the upper section, creating a dynamic effect that reflects the variety of apartment layouts.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=””][vc_column width=”1\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1742466252148{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”84305″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”18″ down=”0″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84478″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”18″ down=”0″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1742466261175{padding-left: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”84315″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”40″ z_index=””][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”quote”]OLIVARI X TORRE VELASCA<\/span><\/strong>
\nThe BBPR \u2013 Olivari Collaboration<\/span><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”18px”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nAs with most of the most iconic buildings of the 1950s, the design of Torre Velasca extended down to the finest details.
\nFor the occasion, BBPR designed the Velasca handles, which were first produced by Olivari in 1956.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” padding_bottom=”30″][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
In addition to the numerous built-in furniture elements they conceived for the tower, BBPR designed a custom door handle named the Velasca in homage to the building.
\nProduced by Olivari from 1956, the handle has a sinuous shape of Baroque influence while being rooted in sound functional principles.
\nAt a remove from rigid rationalist geometry, the handle shows a sensibility to organic shapes, an expression of the sculptural vitality that would characterise much of BBPR’s postwar work. Made in polished shell-moulded brass, the handle came with a matching rosette and key-hole plate, both having an unusual truncated-cone shape.
\nThe family of Velasca handles, produced until 2005, included a window handle, a hinged pull and a door-knob, all designed by the architects Belgiojoso, Peressutti and Rogers.
\nIn 1959, Fonderia e Officina B. Olivari wrote to Studio BBPR: “On the coming 13th of June, the jury of the Compasso d’Oro award will assemble for the first time. We have organised the delivery of several samples of the Velasca door and window handles. Dutifully yours.”
\nThat year, when the fifth edition of the award established by the department store La Rinascente was organised by the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale for the first time, 220 industrialists and craftspeople participated with around 1,200 objects.
\nThe jury, composed of Bruno Alfieri, Vico Magistretti, Giulio Minoletti, Augusto Morello and Giovanni Romano, attributed one of the recognitions to the Fiat 500 automobile, an unsurpassed Italian icon.
\nFor the recent renovation and redevelopment of Torre Velasca, Olivari supplied the handles anew. These were integrated with a number of originals that were preserved and restored for the apartments.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_empty_space height=”90px”][vc_single_image image=”84527″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][vc_single_image image=”84508″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”30″ z_index=”” padding_bottom=”60″][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84331″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”18″ down=”0″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84326″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”center” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1742456569659{background-color: #25408f !important;}” padding_top=”60″ padding_bottom=”60″][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
RESTORATION, REDEVELOPMENT AND URBAN RENEWAL<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”18px”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
In 2021, following the complete acquisition of Torre Velasca, the real investment firm Hines entrusted the redevelopment of the tower to Asti Architetti from Milan. Since its construction, the tower was never renovated or redeveloped.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” padding_bottom=”30″][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
In 2012 Milan’s Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape declared Torre Velasca “of particularly important historical and artistic interest”.
\nDespite still being a Milanese icon, the building had long lost its vital, dynamic role in the city fabric. The ravages of time were visible, as were the limits of a functional configuration that perhaps no longer met the requirements of contemporary reality.
\nIn 2019, Hines, a real estate investment, development and management firm, acquired Torre Velasca and entrusted the redevelopment of the tower to Asti Architetti from Milan in collaboration with the firms CEAS, ESA Engineering and YARD REAAS.
\nThe conservation and restoration project was designed to integrate energy-efficient solutions, aligning with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards.
\nThe interventions were carefully coordinated with the Superintendency to ensure respect for the original design and its meaning The wish to maintain the stylistic imprint of the BBPR project was constantly balanced against current standards of sustainability, flexibility and energy efficiency.
\nThe original mixed-use functions are intact, with offices, apartments and shops, while floors 1 and 18 now host restaurants. At the tower’s foot, the ground floor of the outward-projecting volume is connected with the floor above and the first underground floor. Respectively, these host entrances to the first-floor restaurant and the underground wellness area, gymnasium and pool.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”18″ down=”0″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84345″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”30″ z_index=”” padding_bottom=”60″][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84350″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=”element_from_fade”][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”18″ down=”0″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
According to type, the apartments were renewed in their materials. The apartments’ initial configuration by BBPR was reinstated. The offices have been redesigned with an open-space plan, a flexible layout and optimal digital connectivity. Toilets are positioned in blocks on the two short ends of the building. The 15th floor was left in its original layout of separated offices. All parts that had been added over the years were removed, and all non-original elements were substituted with parts having similar aesthetics and design to the originals.
\nThe intervention also included the restoration of deteriorated structural elements, prefabricated components, and plasterwork.
\nAs with other interior fittings, new door handles supplied for the building are the “Velasca” model, now finished in polished PVD SuperOro.
\nFinally, the renewal effort improved the urban area where the tower meets the ground and the space of the piazza around it, which is now conceived as an exchange between the private and public realms, in line with a sustainable rehabilitation strategy and the enhancement of an iconic landmark.
\nThe creation of a pedestrian-friendly area separated from the roadway and embellished with benches, olive trees, magnolias and the insertion of planted borders gives the city a swath of connective fabric between the shops, the entrances to the tower, and the sitting areas, forming a kind of “non-clerical churchyard” at the foot of the building, so described by the architect Paolo Asti.
\nIn addition, two exits of the Milan underground line M3 lie at the extremities of the new piazza, offering open accessibility to the space.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1742399639981{background-color: #25408f !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_column_text] TORRE VELASCA [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]1958 – 2025[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]From the handle to the city. Presence and continuity of the past.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84412″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” qode_css_animation=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=””][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”quote”]TORRE VELASCA[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”18px”][vc_column_text] On the occasion of the restoration and redevelopment of Torre Velasca, Olivari, 67 years later, renews its commitment by supplying the tower with the iconic Velasca handles, designed by Studio BBPR in 1956. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” padding_bottom=”60″][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84423″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][vc_separator…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"full_width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\n
Torre Velasca 1958-2025 | Olivari<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Torre Velasca 1958-2025 | Olivari\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1742399639981{background-color: #25408f !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_column_text] TORRE VELASCA [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]1958 – 2025[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]From the handle to the city. Presence and continuity of the past.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84412″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” qode_css_animation=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=””][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”quote”]TORRE VELASCA[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”18px”][vc_column_text] On the occasion of the restoration and redevelopment of Torre Velasca, Olivari, 67 years later, renews its commitment by supplying the tower with the iconic Velasca handles, designed by Studio BBPR in 1956. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” padding_bottom=”60″][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”84423″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][vc_separator...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Olivari\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/olivariofficial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-14T08:03:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/\",\"name\":\"Torre Velasca 1958-2025 | Olivari\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-25T15:02:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-14T08:03:06+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Torre Velasca 1958-2025\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Olivari\",\"description\":\"Maniglie di design\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Torre Velasca 1958-2025 | Olivari","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.olivari.it\/en\/torre-velasca-1958-2025\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Torre Velasca 1958-2025 | Olivari","og_description":"[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” padding_top=”60″ z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1742399639981{background-color: #25408f !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_column_text] TORRE VELASCA [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]1958 – 2025[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]From the handle to the city. 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