The final piece of the Fondazione Prada puzzle the ‘Torre’ opened to the public during Milan Salone, last Friday 20th April.

The 60 metre- tall tower is the final part of the campus, (which first opened in 2015) the project completely transformed the site which used to be a gin distillery- it now holds numerous expansive gallery spaces was designed by Rem Koolhaas’ OMA.

Rising high above the Fondazione Prada and the overall neighbourhood, the tower’s irregular geometry follows a structural logic.

‘The tower is built from large-span concrete beams that alternate in orientation from level to level, creating an alternating open/closed pattern on each façade, these beams are tied to a slender concrete core which contains all the services and circulation.’ …………………………… OMA

Ground floor plan

The bathrooms feature an unexpected fluro yellow metal panelling

Visitors can catch a glimpse of the internal stairs through a hole above the building’s entrance

Half of the tower’s levels develop on a trapezoidal basis, the others follow a rectangular plan, all external facades are characterized by a succession of glass and concrete surfaces.

This gives the floors an exposure to light on the north, east or west side.

While the uppermost exhibition hall is filled with natural light and the roof terrace is designed as a flexible space that also has a bar.

Inside is an exhibition titled ‘Atlas’, which emerged from a dialogue between Miuccia Prada and Italian art historian Germano Celant. It features works from the Prada collection displayed in a sequence of different environments.

Imposing in scale, curatorial brilliance, and visual force, the artworks boldly confront the challenging architectural spaces and the surrounding landscape in a play of balanced harmony and disruptive contrasts— a very Prada-esque attitude.

Artists on display include Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, John Baldessari, and Carsten Höller.

The 2nd floor gallery, Jeff Koons, Tulips 1995-2004

The 2nd Floor gallery floorplan

Walter De Maria, Bel Air Trilogy (detail), 2000-2011 (on the 3rd floor)

The 3rd floor gallery floorplan

The 5th floor gallery with works by Michael Heizer and Pino Pascali

5th Floor Gallery floor plan

The group of exhibited artworks, created between 1960 and 2016, represents a possible mapping of the ideas and visions which have guided the creation of the collection and the collaborations with the artists that have contributed to the activities of the foundation throughout the years.

The Upside Down Mushroom Room by Carsten Höller (2000)

The Torre restaurant, housed on the sixth floor (which is yet to open) will house original furnishings from the Four Seasons restaurant in New York which was designed by Philip Johnson in 1958.

The 6th floor also hosts an expansive roof terrace.

The 6th Floor plan of the terrace and restaurant

Alongside elements of the installation by Carsten Höller the Double Club (2008-2009), three sculptures by Lucio Fontana — two polychrome ceramics Cappa per Caminetto (1949) and Pilastro (1947) and a glass and cement paste mosaic head of a jellyfish (1948-54) — with a selection of paintings by William n. Copley, Jeff Koons, Goshka Macuga and John Wesley.

The eighth floor gallery with a series of installations by Damien Hirst and paintings by William N. Copley

The six exhibition rooms have two different floor plans – either rectangular or trapezoid – with three different exposures, at the same time their ceiling height increases from 2,4 meters to 8 meters from bottom to top, thus providing diversified exhibition conditions for different types of artwork, from small paintings to large-size installations.

As  seen in other projects by Koolhaas, the interiors present a combination of cheap industrial materials and construction elements – such as Orientated strand Board (OSB) wood panels, and galvanizes steel meshes – and lavish selections including gold leaf and pink onyx for the lift interiors.

Elevation and cross section of the Torre

About OMA and Prada 

Koolhaas co-founded OMA in 1975, has had a long-term relationship with Prada. He has designed a number of projects for the Italian fashion house over the years, including catwalk sets and window installations.

Prada launched its foundation in 1993, as a cultural organisation dedicated to cinema, design, architecture, philosophy, fashion and performance – and OMA was the obvious choice to design it.

The complex officially opened in May 2015, with highlights including the “haunted house” clad in 24-carat gold leaf and the cinema camouflaged by mirrors.