Piazza Gae Aulenti, Milan

Piazza Gae Aulenti is a raised, circular pedestrian square, designed by César Pelli as a striking companion to the towers around it. Its diameter is 100 metres, and the platform rises 6 metres above Via Vincenzo Capelli and about 15 metres above Viale Luigi Sturzo. As you take in the open surface, notice how the architecture turns the square into a viewing platform for Milan’s contemporary skyline.

The UniCredit Tower rises above it: at 231 metres, it is Italy’s tallest skyscraper. The view also includes the Garibaldi Towers, the Bosco Verticale complex, Palazzo Lombardia, the Pirelli skyscraper, and several residential towers. Three fountains bring water, light, and music into the space, giving the hard architectural setting a changing public rhythm.

The square opened on the eighth of December 2012 and commemorates Gae Aulenti, the Italian designer and architect who had died shortly beforehand. Its connection with the IBM Studios, a wood-and-concrete multipurpose venue beside the square and the Library of Trees, helps explain why this setting hosts advertising shoots, photography, concerts, social gatherings, festive installations, and fashion events. What looks like a corporate forecourt has become a popular meeting place for residents and visitors.