Close Call: Large Sign on 44-Story Milan Building Nearly Collapses

Fortunately, No Casualties or Damage to Surrounding Structures
Designed by World-Renowned Architect Zaha Hadid

A large sign installed on the rooftop of the Milan headquarters of Generali, Italy's largest insurance company, partially collapsed. On July 1, Yonhap News, citing Italy's ANSA news agency, reported that the large sign bearing the Generali logo lost its balance and tilted toward the exterior wall of the building, which could have led to a major accident.

The headquarters building of Generali, Italy's largest insurance company, with a collapsed sign in Milan. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News

Following the incident, fire authorities quickly secured the sign to prevent it from falling to the ground and urgently cordoned off the area around the building as a precaution. In a statement released immediately after the accident, Generali said, "The situation was handled promptly, and there were no injuries or damage to surrounding structures." The company added, "We are investigating the cause of the incident, and the sign is now safely secured." It appears that the accident occurred when the support structure holding the large sign bent under its weight.

The building where the incident took place is 44 stories tall and stands 170 meters high. It is known as the "Hadid Tower," named after the world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid who designed it. Along with the nearby Allianz Tower and PwC Tower, Hadid Tower is an iconic part of Milan's skyline. All three buildings are located in Milan's CityLife district, which is surrounded by luxury residential complexes, parks, and large shopping malls.

Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize?often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture?was known as the "Queen of Curves" for her innovative designs emphasizing curves in architecture. Through masterpieces such as "520 West 28th" in New York and the "Heydar Aliyev Center" in Baku, Azerbaijan, she showcased a unique design philosophy that blurred the boundaries between nature and architecture. In addition, after her death from a heart attack in 2016, her final work, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, attracted attention for its spaceship-like exterior.