Headquarter
The vegetation mitigates the presence of the architecture, which reinterprets the historical morphologies of Lombardy with contemporary materials and forms
The historic Milan-based company Ugolini S.p.A., which produces refrigerating machines for drinks and ice cream, celebrates its 75 years of activity with a new management and production headquarters, which brings together the activities previously present in the nearby town of Vigonzone (PV) and the administrative and commercial functions of Opera (MI).
Year:
2020Architects:
Barreca & La VarraTypology:
WorkplacePhoto:
Carola MerelloLocation:
Torre Vecchia Pia (PV), ItalyThe desire of the company Ugolini S.p.a. was to create an entrance that was common access for all employees; a request that determined the need to create a project characterized by the fluidity of spaces, both internal and architectural. The objective was therefore to allow different construction systems - offices and prefabricated warehouse and production buildings - to coexist. The solution was identified in the open courtyard morphology, guaranteeing the buildings the right balance of union and independence. A balance even more emphasized by the architectural fronts that reflect the structural world to which they belong on the outside. In the open courtyard, in addition to a plane tree, a mulberry tree, an oak and an ash tree, there are four large circular LED lighting fixtures, 3 meters high and with diameters ranging from 7 to 9 meters, made to order, which emerge as "foreign" elements in the rigorous and geometric general design.
The building dedicated to staff offices is distributed over two floors, over an area of 3000 m2. The structure is a reference to the morphology of the typical Lombard farmhouse with an open courtyard, whose internal space is enlivened by four trees wrapped in luminous structures. The entrance consists of four lobbies, two of which are double-height illuminated by zenithal skylights, the interior of which is mainly organized as open spaces used as offices and meeting rooms. The interconnection of spaces is the main value of this structure, whose internal spaces allow visual contact between the different environments to be maintained thanks to the presence of large glass walls.
Adjacent to the offices is the production space, measuring 5500 m2, visible through window openings from the "research and development" section located on the second floor of the office block: the volumetric continuum intends to further equalize the roles of production and administrative employees, as well as standardizing the intervention as a whole. The 5700 m2 warehouse building, on the other hand, is isolated, its main front faces the car park - 3000 m2 with 180 parking spaces dedicated to visitors and employees - and is accessible along the entire perimeter by vehicles.
