Dating back to 1964, Torre Arcobaleno (Rainbow Tower) at Porto Garibaldi was once an anonymous water reservoir on the site of the important FS Milano Porta Garibaldi railway station. The tower was first renovated ahead of the football World Cup held in Italy in 1990, a project that turned a downtrodden public works into a highly recognisable urban beacon.
Since then, the Torre Arcobaleno has been a distinctive symbol of Milan’s colour and creativity, and has gradually become known as a major landmark.
Now as then, in 1990, the project was prepared and the works organised by the Architecture Division of the Milan firm Original Designers 6R5 Network, represented by Francesco Roggero, Albino Pozzi, Rita Alfano Roggero and Kiyoto Ishimoto.
The renovation – all the costs of which were met by the project’s partner companies and architects – is a gift to Milan and the millions of visitors it will be welcoming during Expo 2015. The works were completed in just 71 days, employing 37 workers.
The Garibaldi zone of the nearby Piazza Gae Aulenti is the acknowledged nerve centre of the city’s Business, Fashion and Modern Architecture scenes. The zone, now restyled by futuristic skyscrapers, has adopted the Torre Arcobaleno as its “Colourful Ceramic Totem”, there to remind people of Italy’s Master Potters and the craft origins of an industry famous all over the world for its Italian Excellence.