A raised garden conceived to mend a long-standing rift in the terrain and recreate the hillside of the site in which it's located. This is what the new Fendi Factory in Bagno a Ripoli looks like. The concept aims to define the conditions for a renewed visual collaboration between architecture and environment: from the green roof to the courtyards the idea was to transform the entire site into a new and extended garden also with the purpose of improving the quality of the working spaces.
National
Italy
Bagno a Ripoli, Florence.
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-10-12
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Piuarch Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Monica Francesca Last name of representative: Tricario Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: Co-founder & Partner, company's legal representative. Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Palermo, 1 Town: Milan Postal code: 20121 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 02 8909 6130 E-mail:studio@piuarch.it Website:https://piuarch.it/
The project was selected as part of a competition by invitation organised in 2017, which was followed by the commissioning of the design up to the executive phase. Piuarch was chosen by Fendi because the firm's proposal was the one that best interpreted the Maison's request to create an architecture of great aesthetic and environmental value that would express the excellence of Fendi products.
The new Fendi production building in Bagno a Ripoli near Florence looks like a raised garden conceived to mend a long-standing rift in the terrain and recreate the hillside of the site in which it is located. This design concept was created and developed by our Milan-based studio Piuarch and subsequently continued and coordinated by Fendi's Architecture Department. The complex of about 14,000 square metres rises in the Tuscan countryside and houses executive and administrative offices, a restaurant, a production warehouse, workshops and a high leather goods school. The project concept, defined in the initial phase together with landscape architect Antonio Perazzi, aims to define the conditions for a renewed visual collaboration between architecture and environment. The characteristics of the site, impacted by the logic of relying on the brick industry and the quarry once functioning on the lot, required restoration work and prompted the idea of interpreting the construction of the production complex as an opportunity to establish positive land management dynamics. The architecture thus establishes an open dialogue with its natural surroundings: the building, apparently underground owing to the landscaping choice of creating a continuous and extensive green roof, becomes an integrated ecological system that recreates the contours of the land to restore the shape of the original hillside.
architectural landmark having significant aesthetic and environmental value
visual collaboration between architecture and environment
regeneration of a damaged site
sustainable and caring working environment
positive impact on social context
The sustainability that we have set out to achieve is embodied in various aspects issues.
- LAND SUSTAINABILITY: with this intervention, an area perceived as degraded is redeveloped, morphologically restoring the hilly landscape, formerly hollowed out by the presence of a clay quarry and a kiln. Fendi's choice makes possible the transformation of a place of environmental degradation to a renewed area dedicated to an industrial vocation with a new factory rebuilt on existing volumes, in line with the territorial government guidelines of the Region and the Municipality aimed at avoiding the consumption of new land.
- SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: this new Pole of Excellence is designed to accommodate and enhance the work of local artisans and professionals, supporting the core values of craftsmanship, savoir-faire and handmade.
- ENVIRONMENTAL/ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY: the entire complex is designed on the basis of high landscape criteria and high energy efficiency. Green roofing, photovoltaic modules, and rainwater recovery for irrigation are the main systems that will determine the high energy efficiency of the Factory.
Respect for the context and analysis of the intrinsic possibilities of the site, contribute to creating an almost mimetic building, which does not disturb, but rather amplifies the harmony of the territory. The green roof offers the advantage of effectively counteracting the so-called heat island effect induced by a new construction with such a large surface area. The massiveness of the roof is contrasted by the use of large glass surfaces and patios that allow natural light to be exploited.
Following the principles of sustainability that have driven the design of FENDI Factory, upholstered furniture and stock leather have been reused and upcycled.
FENDI Factory would be the first factory to reach the prestigious LEED Platinum certification by 2023
Piuarch concept best interpreted the Maison's request to create an ARCHITECTURE OF GREAT AESTHETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE AND A SUSTAINABLE AND CARING WORKING ENVIRONMENT.
To allow Fendi's new headquarters to blend in with its surroundings, the building's outer walls use a natural mix of earth and cement, along with glass, in a characteristic shade that reflects the colour nuances of the Tuscan hills. The interior features terracotta cladding, designed by Fendi, which recalls the material of the existing kiln.
Both the perimeter and interior walls are made of glass to also visually favour the connection of the different functions and promote the circulation and socialisation of people. The large glass walls offer employees a healthy working environment, thanks to the natural light and open views of the Tuscan countryside.
The vast roof garden fulfils not only an environmental and energy-saving function but also a social and community role, becoming a user-friendly space overlooked by the canteen and a venue for employees to socialise.
A healthy and comfortable working environment contributes to creating a human and working experience that is collaborative and participative for all, in a word, more inclusive. The design for the Fendi Factory focuses on this aspect, imagining the green 'system' - the extensive green roof, the outdoor park, the planted patios - accessible to all employees, a true place for relationships, relaxation and socialisation. The interior design also reflects this approach: a 'backbone' connecting the spaces, with transparent walls, also visually connects the different functions and promotes the circulation and socialisation of people.
Fendi has been present in Tuscany for more than 30 years within the municipality of Bagno a Ripoli with a plant where the company produces its leather goods and where the complete product life cycle is carried out, thus reaching to involve an important indirect supply chain. With this new production plant, Fendi has decided to focus again on Tuscany, through the creation of a new center for production, development, materials research and training of young artisans, including through an in-house leather goods school. Maintaining the values of local craftsmanship and passing on this level of knowledge and tradition is fundamental for future generations and Fendi's commitment, exemplified in the design of the new Factory, goes completely in this direction.
A local General Contractor was engaged in the construction of the new building, enhancing the employment aspect linked to the area.
The design was conceived and developed by the Milan-based Piuarch studio and subsequently continued and coordinated by Fendi's Architecture Department.
Piuarch was responsible for the architectural design, which is the basis for the definition of all specialized works (sSTRUCTURES, MEP ENGINEERING, LANDSCAPE) that were coordinated and integrated into the design by the firm.
The issue of context and respect for the landscape is central, so Piuarch defined the initial phase together with LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Antonio Perazzi, based on the belief that when an architectural project also includes a landscape project, the symbiosis with the environment develops naturally.
Another pillar of the concept is based on the assumption that the project can find its ideal form through the best functional arrangement of all its parts: great attention was therefore paid to analyzing and understanding the functioning of each activity, studying flows and paths, with the goal of designing an efficient functional distribution.
Integral and coordinated design is based on an approach in which the overall (or architectural) design and all the specialized components (building, structural, plant engineering and others) that make up the work are taken into account simultaneously.
This Project allows a RECONNECTION WITH NATURE through a form of renewed collaboration between architecture and its environmental context. BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SPACES, FENDI Factory features a building developed on one main level, housing all the functions (production, laboratories, offices, services), a basement for parking and a 1st floor with the canteen directly overlooking the roof garden. The factory is surrounded by seven hectares of greenery, which have been treated with utmost care: the landscape project of FENDI Factory’s park is designed with the aim of integrating the factory and landscape in a perfect mix of spontaneous woods and agricultural sceneries of Tuscan countryside. A 700-olive grove sneaks into all areas of the park, allowing the production of oil from the Factory itself of up to 900 litres per year. Inside the building, nine glazed courtyards shed light on interior spaces, strengthening the link with the surrounding landscape and bringing their presence back into production and office spaces. Each courtyard is characterised by Mediterranean scrub tree species - fig, holm oak, pomegranate, osmanthus, acacia, oak, strawberry tree, etc.
In Italy the industrial warehouse represents the most widely spread building type from North to South, identifying a homogenizing language distributed in the most varied landscapes - countryside, suburbs and cities - essentially driven by functional and quantitative criteria.
The Fendi Factory complex fits into this typology of buildings since it houses a production warehouse and workshops in addition to executive and administrative offices, a restaurant and a high leather goods school. In contrast to most manufacturing buildings, however, the case of the Fendi Factory denotes SPECIAL ATTENTION TO LANDSCAPE, RELATING TO IT ACCORDING TO QUALITATIVE AND REGENERATIVE CRITERIA. This industrial architecture thus establishes an OPEN DIALOGUE WITH ITS NATURAL SURROUNDINGS: the building, apparently underground owing to the landscaping choice of creating a continuous and extensive green roof, becomes an integrated ecological system that recreates the contours of the land to restore the shape of the original hillside.
For the Fendi Factory we can speak about LAND REGENERATION THROUGH ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION.
The concept is based on the idea that the project can find its ideal form through the best functional arrangement of all its parts.
We felt this was the right approach when faced with the request to design a new Hub of Excellence "designed to accommodate and enhance the work of artisans and professionals....." So the first step was to understand the functioning of each activity, studying flows and routes, with the goal of designing an efficient functional distribution.
Then we posed the issue of context, of respecting the landscape in which the intervention is located. So the idea of organizing the work spaces only on one floor, the ground floor, at the height of the existing factory was born. In the basement the parking lots and on the first floor only the cafeteria. Personnel routes and goods flows occur horizontally, and the required functions, with their size and shape, draw the plan of the building. The succession of work and circulation spaces is complemented by the presence of green courtyards and patios that bring in light while seeking a relationship with the surrounding landscape.
- ATTENTION TO THE CONTEXT, to achieve architecture that respects the environment in which it is inserted, has always been one of the pillars of our firm's design and the method by which we approach the different contexts in which we operate.
- ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONS that we are going to include in the project and a deep understanding of the activities that will take place in the building, is a methodology that can be applied to any project that is tackled.
- To get into the merits of design solutions, GREEN ROOFING: is always desirable, not only in the case of suburban manufacturing facilities, but also when we talk about buildings within our cities. Green roofs are an alternative solution to traditional roofing and offer benefits in terms of comfort, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. They bring social, economic and environmental benefits: microclimate mitigation, energy savings, reduction of air and noise pollution, reduction of water runoff velocity, growth of biodiversity, better performance of rooftop photovoltaic panels.
- Attention to WORKPLACE QUALITY AND COMFORT with a view to implementing employee well-being: it is central to our projects and it is therefore desirable that it can be transferred to the design of all offices or production facilities.
- Last but not least, ATTENTION TO THE SOCIAL RELEVANCE that projects have on the territory: it should always be taken into account in any context in which we intervene.
The project approaches the GLOBAL CHALLENGE of moving more and more toward multifaceted, multi-level sustainability; LOCAL SOLUTIONS were found by analyzing the context: the characteristics of the site, marked by the logic of exploitation of the brick industry and the quarry previously active on the lot, in fact required remediation and suggested the opportunity to interpret the realization of the production complex as an OCCASION TO INSTEAD VIRTUOUS LAND MANAGEMENT DYNAMICS.
