Palazzo Lancia, Modernist tower in Turin, Italy

Palazzo Lancia is a 70-metre, 16-storey office tower in Borgo San Paolo, Turin, built like a bridge over Via Vincenzo Lancia on two reinforced-concrete truss bases. Its two main facades are grids of mirrored glazing, while the side elevations have recessed windows along the full height; services and lifts sit in two trapezoidal ends. A "LANCIA" sign stood on the roof until 2005.

Gianni Lancia commissioned the tower in 1953 to unite Lancia's management, accounting and engineering offices; Nino Rosani designed it with consultancy from Giò Ponti, and SAICCA began construction in March 1954. Completed in March 1956, it served as Lancia's headquarters until 1969, when Fiat took over the indebted company and the building with it. Fiat sold it in 2005 to the Torino 05 joint venture.

Locals call the tower "Pollice" (thumb), a nickname tied to its bridge-like stance over Via Vincenzo Lancia. The LANCIA sign on the upper facade, visible in the photo, recalls the company that built it; the original rooftop sign stayed until 2005. The building now anchors the residential and office district rising on the cleared Lancia industrial area.

Palazzo Lancia straddles Via Vincenzo Lancia in Borgo San Paolo, so the street runs directly beneath the tower between its two concrete supports. The building is an office block and is not open to the public; it is seen from the road. The nearest metro stop is Spezia on Line 1, a short walk away.

The tower stands on two reinforced-concrete supports, bridging Via Vincenzo Lancia so the road passes underneath it. This bridge structure joined the two halves of Lancia's Borgo San Paolo plant, which the pre-existing street had divided. Locals call the building "Pollice" (thumb).