DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SKYSCRAPERS

The Master’s degree that studies skyscrapers, starting from the experience of Intesa Sanpaolo’s Headquarters in Turin, by architect Piano, gets underway.

Torino, 10 February 2012 – Innovation, involvement and know-how will be the distinguishing features of the master’s degree: a philosophy which, when applied to the complexity of skyscrapers, gives this third-level course of studies a unique character in the international training scenario. The interaction and collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, which decided to have its new headquarters built in Turin, give a touch of uniqueness to the training experience.

The objective of this one-year 2nd level Master’s degree is to transfer multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field knowledge to young graduates across a variety of subjects from engineering to finance, economics and business administration and give them an opportunity to gain specific experience within the scope of a highly complex technical and organisational design project.

The construction of the 166m tall tower represents an exceptional case study. The building’s functional requirements, translated into design by architect Renzo Piano, are now taking shape in the construction phase. Twenty students will be selected based on their curriculum vitae accompanied by a letter of reference by a university lecturer and will have the opportunity to gain experience in a context of mutual exchange between the academic world, professionals, enterprises and client, which still retains a central role in the organisational and decision-making system.
The over 500 hours of training – in addition to the 400 traditional teacher-led classes – will enable students to tackle the critical issues of the work site along with their tutor and measure up to the technical solutions identified.
The subject of the study will not only be focused on design and construction but also on the knowledge of the building aspects useful for the organisation and management of the building starting from its completion, i.e. as from 2013. Therefore, the students will acquire combined skills in town planning and procedural aspects, but also in the fields of building and construction management, energy management and eco-sustainability, applied to the project.

Marco Gilli – Pro-Chancellor of Turin’s Politecnico commented as follows: “The Master’s degree will provide an important and highly valuable training experience. It will give selected students an opportunity to get hands-on experience in the construction of a major work taking centre stage in the city’s historical, cultural and environmental context, designed with the most advanced building technologies geared towards energy sustainability and the highest environmental quality standards. The Master’s degree is dedicated to Franco Mellano, who died prematurely on 27 October 2011 and who, in his capacity as engineer, architect and town planning professor had devoted so much effort to the experience of the entire project and its sharing in the Politecnico class rooms”.

Enrico Cucchiani – Managing Director and CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo said: “Intesa Sanpaolo believes and invests in young people who are the Country’s future and shares the idea that the ability to provide well-prepared and motivated students with adequate conditions to enhance their potential is representative of the community’s development level. For these reasons, the Master’s degree is the perfect opportunity to pool together a unique and major experience that we are very proud of. The skyscraper will be a prestigious calling card for our Group and it is not by chance that it will rise in Turin, a city capable of innovating and attracting skilled young talent. We are confident that the partnership with the Politecnico and the Chambers of Commerce will promote a selection process of excellent talent, starting from the identification of the newly graduates for the Master’s. We are proud – Cucchiani concluded – to be able to contribute to the training of the new and brilliant architects and professionals who will be required to understand and master the social and town planning transformations taking place in the big cities of the future, a driving factor for growth at the global level.

Daniele Vaccarino - Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of Turin “Our contribution to the Master’s degree is not only in line with the objective of facilitating the transition from the university world to that of work, but also with the need to enhance innovation and creativity as drivers of economic development. Indeed, the competitive edge of a territory is increasingly based on such levers as training, skills expansion and the ability to apply new knowledge, without which it would not be possible to sustain growth, employment and, more in general, local competitiveness".

For information:

POLITECNICO DI TORINO
Resp. Tiziana Vitrano – Elena Foglia Franke tel. +390115646183/6286 - fax +390115646028 – relazioni.media@polito.it

INTESA SANPAOLO
Rapporti con i media – Mirella Giai +390115556652 – Antonella Vicenzino +390115556656 - stampa@intesasanpaolo.com