Il Progetto
The Novara bridge area project is part of a partnership between Politecnica and Chef Express spanning several years, which has involved refurbishment and design work in 21 motorway service areas. Covering a total surface area of 4,620 m2 (1,370 m2 for the non-food retail area and 320 m2 for food retail), the new Chef Express refurbishment project has led to the construction of a single large building housing an extensive food court, as well as new areas designed to maximise retail space. The layout envisages linear walkways, reflecting the results of research to create a design and image in which the various concepts included work together in harmony.
© Iosa Ghini Associati
The design for the outdoor areas was thought out to provide customers with a wide range of services and amenities, including a motorbike parking area, a fenced play area with video surveillance, a picnic area with sun and/or rain shelters and free Wi-Fi, plus a fenced pet area, and an area equipped for motorhome stopovers.
The Politecnica project is also highly innovative, as it envisaged the creation of something more than a conventional service station: a space for everyone. Families, workers, professional road users, disabled users, and animal owners can all enjoy the wide variety of spaces, featured both inside and outside the building, which are designed to meet all their needs and to offer the ideal setting for a pleasant break.
The assignment was extremely challenging due to the complexity of the work and, above all, the timing. After issuing a call for tenders for the refurbishment and management project, Chef Express awarded Politecnica the contract in 2017 and the project took three months for completion. The worksite was opened on 3 April 2017 and the finished building was officially opened on 5 July 2017, just 90 days after work began.
