Torre, Fondazione Prada in Milan is now open to public

Torre, the 60-metre high building that completes the Fondazione Prada’s Milan venue is finally ready and accessible to to the public, opening in time for Milan Design Week. Designed by Rem Koolhaas, with Chris van Duijn and Federico Pompignoli from architecture firm OMA, the Fondazione Prada was first revealed in May 2015, a venue (the site of a former gin distillery) dedicated to arts and culture. 

Realised in exposed white concrete, the nine-storey tall structure has an external façade of alternating concrete and glass, allowing light to filter through from all sides. Each level has a varying ceiling height, with the top floor boasting an impressive 8m ceiling height. The southern side of Torre connects to Deposito (another phase of the venue) via a diagonal structure, which features a panaromic elevator within the building. “Together these variations produce a radical diversity within a simple volume—so that the interaction between the spaces and specific events or works of art offers an endless variety of conditions,” says Koolhaas.

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Six levels in Torre will host the exhibition project Atlas, initiated from a dialogue between Miuccia Prada and Germano Celant, displaying masterpieces from the Prada Collection. Expect to see other works incorporating solos, or created through contrasts between artists such as Carla Accardi and Jeff Koons, Walter De Maria, Mona Hatoum and Edward Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, Michael Heizer and Pino Pascali, William N. Copley and Damien Hirst, John Baldessari and Carsten Höller.

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The remaining three levels will serve other visitor facilities including the Restaurant Torre with decor pieces from the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York, designed by Philip Johnson in 1958, elements from Carsten Höller’s installation The Double Club (2008-2009), as well as artworks from Jeff Koons, and William N. Copley. The rooftop terrace is no doubt the best place to view the city’s skylines, being Fondazione Prada’s highest view point. Constructed as an adaptable space hosting a bar, the rooftop terrace features a decorative black and white optical flooring, and a mirror clad balustrade that allows a stunning 360° view of Milan.