Pirelli Tire Building Architectural Model

This architectural object is inspired by the Pirelli Tire Building, a landmark of post-war modernist architecture in the United States.

Designed by Marcel Breuer and completed in 1970, the building is defined by its dramatic cantilevered floors, precast concrete construction, and unmistakable inverted form. Its bold massing and structural clarity make it especially suited to interpretation as an architectural object.

Read the full Pirelli Tire Building architecture guide

 

Modernist form, expressed through structure

 

The Pirelli Tire Building is not driven by façade decoration or surface detail. Its architectural identity emerges from structure itself — a series of projecting floor plates that create deep shadows and a powerful stepped profile.

This architectural model focuses on:

• the building’s inverted, cantilevered massing

• the repetition of concrete floor plates

• the strong horizontal rhythm of the structure

Reduced to object form, these elements allow the building’s architectural logic to be read immediately and clearly.

 

Why the Pirelli Tire Building works as an architectural model

 

The Pirelli Tire Building translates exceptionally well into an architectural object because its design is driven by:

• mass rather than transparency

• structure rather than ornament

• silhouette rather than surface detail

At reduced scale, the building reads as a composed modernist object — a study in how concrete, repetition, and projection can generate architectural presence.

Rather than functioning as a literal miniature, this piece captures the architectural essence of Breuer’s design.

 

Craft, materials, and finish

 

Each Pirelli Tire Building object is crafted with an emphasis on precision and restraint. The finish is intentionally understated, allowing form, proportion, and shadow to define the piece — echoing the material discipline of the original building.

The result is an object that sits naturally within:

• architectural and design studios

• shelves, desks, and display surfaces

• interiors shaped by modernist and brutalist influences

It appeals to architects, designers, and collectors drawn to concrete architecture and twentieth-century modernism.

 

An object shaped by corporate modernism

 

The Pirelli Tire Building represents a moment when corporate architecture embraced abstraction and monumentality as expressions of confidence and permanence.

As an object, the building becomes a compact study in modernist thinking — architecture reduced to structure, rhythm, and form, without reliance on symbolism or decoration.

 

Product details

 

• Subject: Pirelli Tire Building, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

• Architect: Marcel Breuer

• Architectural style: Post-war Modernism / Concrete architecture

• Original completion: 1970

• Format: Freestanding architectural object

• Designed and made by: Chisel & Mouse

 

Learn more about the Pirelli Tire Building

 

For a deeper exploration of the building’s cantilevered structure, concrete construction, and place within modern corporate architecture, see our in-depth guide:

Pirelli Tire Building Architecture: Marcel Breuer and the Modern Corporate Façade