Piazza Gae Aulenti

Two rings of glass and steel hovering above the street, water spouting beneath them: Piazza Gae Aulenti is the square Milan built for its new skyline. Opened in December 2012 at the centre of the Porta Nuova redevelopment, it floats above the roads, ringed by UniCredit's towers and facing the Bosco Verticale.

Why it matters

The square is the public heart of Porta Nuova, the redevelopment that transformed former rail yards between the Garibaldi station, Isola and Varesine areas into a new district. Its circular plate, about a hundred metres across, rises above surrounding streets, allowing transport infrastructure to pass below while maintaining a continuous public space. The square takes its place within a tower group shaped by César Pelli's practice; it is named for Gae Aulenti, the Milanese architect and designer who had died just under two months before the opening, celebrated for the Musée d'Orsay conversion among much else.

What to notice

The design's basic move is the double ring: two overlapping elliptical canopies of steel and glass hold the perimeter, filtering light onto a continuous ring bench that runs around the edge like a trough of seating. Beneath the paving, water basins feed three fountain zones, whose jets form part of the square's design. The square's elevated setting frames views of the UniCredit Tower to the south, the twisted Garibaldi towers, and the Bosco Verticale rising over the trees to the east. Below the plate, commercial galleries and event spaces form part of the development.

Context and history

The square opened on 8 December 2012 and instantly became the emblem of the new district's ambitions — a city presenting a contemporary face after decades in which its modern architecture played second fiddle to its historic core. Named for Gae Aulenti (1927–2012), it honours one of the few Italian architects of her generation with an international canon. The piazza became a venue for public and cultural events, while the surrounding towers house finance and technology offices.