The (almost) fall of the Generali brand is not just a sign of fate
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risk and architecture
Sometimes “grandeur” can be costly if it is not measured by the real technical capabilities to create works safely. Lessons from London and New York
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It would be too easy to joke about the fact that the near collapse of the Generali sign from the 44-story skyscraper in Milan, the “Storto”, one of the most famous works by the star architect Zaha Hadid, could be a premonitory sign of the “fall” of the Trieste-based company under the blows of the banking and insurance game of risk. What must happen will happen and this episode will not symbolize the decline or a change of pace . But be careful, there is a question of responsibility that the Milan prosecutor's office is trying to ascertain after it was necessary to interrupt the public transport service and secure the entire City Life area: can you imagine what would have happened if the gigantic sign, 15 meters high, practically almost two floors higher than the tower, had not rested on a sort of internal terrace but had fallen onto the street from that height?
Fortunately, this did not happen and the owner of the building, namely Generali itself, will certainly provide investigators with all the information on the assembly and posting work that ended in 2018, with some aesthetic controversy due to the bright red color of the plate that stands out among the other more discreet gray-black ones of the skyscrapers in the area that house the financial giants. Sometimes “grandeur” can cost a lot (but Generali, needless to say, is insured) if it is not measured against the real technical capabilities of carrying out a similar work safely as has been happening for over a century in New York . In the Big Apple, since the end of the 1800s, skyscrapers with giant signs and light installations have been built (for example, in Times Square) thanks to professional figures, including architects, builders and specialized workers, such as the famous “Cowboys of the Sky” able to work at dizzying heights. The same goes for London, which has dedicated the Canary Wharf district to the headquarters of major international banks, complete with “branded” towers. Perhaps we can learn something from these cities.
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