AMDL CIRCLE's Z-LIFE workspace occupies a glass box within an industrial factory

AMDL CIRCLE and michele de lucchi present ‘Z-LIFE’, the newly completed headquarters for pharmaceutical corporation zambon. sited within the openzone campus in bresso, along the outskirts of milan, the project is designed as a fluid collection of workspaces, celebrating the exchange of ideas and skills to promote constant innovation within the business environment. Z-LIFE develops and promotes new ways of occupying the workspace based on the studio’s concept of ‘earth stations.’ earth stations are places that are primed and ready for the programming of the future, and seek to foster human relationships.

all images by luca rotondo | @loocaround

in designing Z-LIFE, AMDL CIRCLE integrates workspaces into a pre-existing factory that had once specialized in metal profiles. within a single building, the studio merges a wide variety of programming, belonging to different times and functions. a glass volume is inserted within the original reinforced concrete structure with a steel frame. this new object sits in harmony with the previous industrial language, both preserving and celebrating the memory of its context. the glass highlights the concrete parts that reveals the building’s history — the juxtaposition of different materials makes Z-LIFE unique in its surroundings, and recognizable from afar.

the design team at AMDL CIRCLE organizes the interior of Z-LIFE with no partition walls to generate an interconnected and collaborative environment. the wide open space is developed along two levels, visually connected to allow the occupants to perceive activity throughout the interior. the open environment allows a continuous adaptation of the spaces according to the changing needs of a contemporary office space. the perimetral glass walls allows for natural light to spread, highlighting the empty space and favoring a positive relationship with the outdoors. the transparency of the outer perimeter is a metaphor of knowledge sharing, in a continuous exchange between the inside and the outside.

project info:

project title: Z-LIFE

architecture: AMDL CIRCLE and michele de lucchi | @amdlcircle

location: bresso, italy

client: zambon pharmaceutical

studio director: angelo micheli

project manager: vittorio romano

project team: silvia figini, emilio mossa, michele vanetti

photography: luca rotondo | @loocaround