'green factory' by iotti + pavarani settles within cultivated plain in northern italy

located in the south east of the town of collecchio within parma, italy, iotti + pavarani architetti has introduced the new headquarters for ‘a due’ – a company specialised in the design and construction of complete systems for beverage preparation. situated only a few kilometres away from the site of the old company premises, the new spacious ‘garden factory’ houses offices, laboratories and a production division. 

entrance hall courtyard
all images by fernando guerra 

the internal routes of the building are designed to ensure functionality and transparency between different contexts, giving all employees an awareness of the ongoing site processes and activities. from the main entrance hall, it is already possible to traverse the whole building visually, with a view of the production area through a large glass door. the ground floor of the office block houses the technical design sector and after-sales assistance, arranged in an open plan environment with a number of offices, the printing area and the meeting rooms. the first floor, connected by an open stairway characterised by brighter colours to emphasise the connections between the different spaces, includes the management offices, a private area for the reception of visitors and the commercial and administrative offices.

the industrial building in a widening dialogue with the natural landscape

the two-story office block is perceived as a suspended and overhanging white volume, resting on a darker and heavier base rooting the building to the ground. this volume is marked by a system of openings arranged according to the organisation of the internal spaces, while the wall-covering in white metal sheeting, press-folded to design, generates an impression of micro-folds with ever-shifting reactions to light and atmospheric conditions. on the east, the white volume of the building is transformed into a thin horizontal line for the whole length of the eastern side, flanked by the production building, identifying the new headquarters as a discreet landmark, merging and connecting with the surrounding cultivated plain. the construction translates into a landscape of its own which does not hide its industrial character but is nonetheless able to achieve a more refined and evocative image of a ‘technical building’.

main facade

the embankment facing via filagni

the stairway space

entrance hall

offices

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edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom