geza creates headquarters for faber industrie in udine, italy

geza creates headquarters for faber industrie in udine, italy
all images courtesy of massimo crivellari

the ‘faber headquarters’, for italian steel cylinder manufacturer faber industrie, sits on the edge of industrial park and farmland near udine, italy. it’s unique location directly affected the design, completed by geza, who wanted to include both industry and nature within.

the ‘hard’ courtyard, lined with trees and conceived as a commons area

consisting of about 2,800m² above ground (1,400m² underground), the ‘headquarters’ is anything but small; yet in relation to adjacent structures, it’s size is barely comparable. two shifted, longitudinal volumes linked by a long hallway comprise the site. as a result of the U-like shape, two ‘internal’ open spaces are created, one located on either side of the connector.

the two spaces contrast each other directly. one is labelled as ‘hard’, and features dense tree lining and a large concrete plaza with seating. opposite, is a ‘soft’ expanse, which was left largely untouched and remains green and free. this was done to open visuals eastwards, where the main manufacturing facilities can be seen, as well as mountains near the distant slovenian border.

the ‘soft’ courtyard is green and free, facing the manufacturing facilities and distant mountains

a ventilated façade of two materials — black concrete and black glass — covers the entirety of all volumes. both walls and glazed cells are horizontal, measuring in at four meters wide and 70 centimeters tall. all are connected using 20 millimeter open joints; the same gap makes an appearance in all installed components.

main entrance

black was chosen in response to geza’s experimentation with abstract form. although the ‘faber headquarters’ is about 100meters in length, its low-key exterior makes it stand out — in a good way — from its monolithic neighbors. open spaces were additionally lined with hedgerows of black poplars, standing ‘landmarks’ to match the panels. a contoured organization of the trees moves alternatively towards inner and outer boundaries of the courtyards to hide the car park and highlight perspective views.

the entrance hall has a black terrazzo floor that connects both courtyards

view to courtyard from auditorium 

western head fronts are closed, and house the structure’s fire-exit stairs 

eastern head fronts are open and possess plentiful views 

the ‘headquarters’ is covered in a ventilated skin made of black concrete and black glass

all elements are connected by 20mm wide open joints

lines of black poplars serve as standing landmarks to match wall paneling

although the building is about 100m long, it looks small compared to nearby industrial plants

project: geza gri e zucchi architetti associati, stefano gri, piero zucchi
team: stefania anzil, chiara marchetti, tania teixeira, francesco casella, tina carletti
structural engineer: nuttassociati, udine, italy
façade engineer: ing. angelo peruzza
mechanical engineer: bulfon associati, udine
electrical engineer: studio venica, udine
MEP consultant: HT engineering, udine
site supervisor: geza gri e zucchi architetti associati (stefano gri, piero zucchi)
contractor: edildri costruzioni
mechanical systems: elettrica ducale
electrical systems: tecnoimpianti/nonino
millworks: arredi ermacora
office furniture: multitema
client: faber industrie spa
location: via dell’industria, cividale del friuli, udine, italia
design period: 2009-2011
construction period: 2011-2013
parcel area: 106,000m²
photography: massimo crivellari 

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edited by: nick brink | designboom