The Project
A new project signed by Politecnica with Fabrica, which has already become a symbol of the innovative character that Coop Reno has been carrying out in the area for some time. A management centre organised according to the principles of sharing and aggregation, designed to functionally develop over time, always respecting the environment and future users. The 20,500 sq.mts. lot, which is currently completely free and flat, is located at the end of the “Poggio Piccolo” production site, in the Municipality of Castel Guelfo (province of Bologna).
Principles and philosophies of conservation of green areas and containment of environmental impacts have been of fundamental inspiration throughout the design process. Once built, the Centre will preserve the semantic characteristics of the local agricultural plain, keeping all its distinctive features unchanged and creating the conditions for a sustainable and conscious use of the territory.
“A different kind of Green”: the image of the Project, refined and organically inserted in the context, enhances the landscape and environmental aspects of the area. A soft and organic curve that stretches over the lot, becoming an axis symbolically identified with a plant that has its roots in the streets of the neighborhood, and then grows freely in the green following the typical patterns of natural evolution. From the main path, open and accessible to all, the different branches that lead to the main buildings, which grow according to the functional, economic and organizational needs that will arise over time, depart.
All the new buildings are connected to each other by a canopy that accompanies and protects the users’ path, generating a system that integrates architecture and equipped green spaces. In the first phase the administrative building of 3.900 sqm, the Auditorium, a family area and a coworking space will be built, together with a technical warehouse and an underground parking of 1.300 sqm.
The administrative building is on 4 levels above ground and is designed on a free floor plan to ensure maximum flexibility in internal distribution. It houses on the ground, first and second floors, high quality workplaces such as: office spaces, meeting rooms, relaxation and service areas.
The third floor houses the administrative areas and representative offices as well as direct access to a large panoramic terrace. A large central void, illuminated by skylights placed on the roof, crosses the entire volume of the building with balconies and aerial staircases that generate inclusive and dynamic spaces, in line with the general image of the entire building.
Having to accommodate workspaces and services for the public, the layout of the floors and the façade system have been designed to guarantee an optimal degree of transparency and permeability to natural light, minimizing glare thanks to a passive screening system that develops with dynamic lines and envelops the buildings.
A completely glazed covered passage, perfectly integrated in the green loop of the external park design, connects the administrative building to the new Auditorium with an internal 280-seat cavea. The auditorium will mainly serve the occupants of the administrative centre, but with the possibility of opening to the public for certain events. On the first floor there is a buffet area with special rooms for the preparation of food & beverage and a large terrace overlooking the park.
The third building along the development of the covered pathway houses, on the ground floor, a family area with spaces for youth aggregation and education, conceived as a large “open space” overlooking a dedicated outdoor green area. The other part of the ground floor is destined for a laboratory-market and an open space to be used as offices. On the upper floor there is a research and innovation centre consisting of a meeting space and some rooms for co-working.
The path ends with a parking area, next to which there is a warehouse with storage and archive areas. The front of the warehouse overlooking the park, is reserved for use as a guesthouse, with 3 rooms for employees of the management center.
In the project the energy performance is of paramount importance. Assessed simultaneously from several points of view, it combines the advantages of a high performance envelope with the efficiency of the systems that complete the comfort requirements, compared to the activities and functions housed inside the buildings.
All the systems have been designed for maximum savings in electrical and thermal energy as well as for the protection of other natural sources of supply such as air and water.
In particular, the installation of a controlled mechanical ventilation system allows the reduction of energy consumption through the use of a heat recovery system, allowing the constant renewal of indoor air. The entire Centre is made completely self-sustainable from the energy point of view thanks to the installation of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems positioned on the roof of production buildings.