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Snøhetta and Park Associati are the winners of the international competition launched by COIMA in 2019 for the renovation of the complex at 35 Via Pirelli, dating back to the 1960s. Having reached the final stage of the competition, both studios' proposals were considered valid interpretations of the client's brief on complementary aspects of the project. At that point, COIMA proposed to the two studios to collaborate and create a project together from scratch. Park and Snøhetta took up the challenge and worked intensively together, addressing the complexities and developing the dialectics of the two visions at stake, resulting in a new project in which architectural quality and design challenge coexist.
The renovation of Pirelli 35 is carried out in continuity of scale and on the lines of the adjacent buildings. A two-storey superelevation has been realised that stands as a suspended volume with respect to the existing building. On Via Bordoni, parallel to Via Pirelli, a five-storey extension was also created, connected to the main volume by a bridge building, clad in metal with a terracotta-coloured material paint. The central wing of the existing building is demolished to generate a spacious and dynamic courtyard on the ground floor, enhanced by a publicly accessible garden. An undulating stone carpet invites the public to cross the site, at the same time unifying the different arrangements and levels of the neighbouring sites.
Sustainability aspects were considered starting with the decision to recover part of the existing building instead of demolishing it completely and through the implementation of a series of thoughtful interventions. In fact, a considerable advantage is obtained by reusing the existing concrete structures, cement production being a high carbon-emitting process. In addition, the various façades have openings and overhangs optimised with respect to the cardinal orientation in order to ensure the correct control of solar gain. Low-energy or recycled materials are used throughout the building, while a large photovoltaic system powers a water-to-water heat pump for thermal generation.
The project merges architecture, landscape and two different approaches to design to create a generous, permeable and publicly accessible building that becomes a place of transit and urban reconnection. The intervention intelligently reinvents a more socially and ecologically sustainable building. The building is organised in three visibly different levels: the ground floor and the 9th floor are very transparent and provide a high degree of accessibility; the main body of the building -from the 1st to the 8th floor- is used for offices, with elegant and sober workplaces; the penthouse on the 10th floor hovers above the terrace and creates a unique meeting point with a beautiful view of the city.
"The collaboration between Snøhetta, at the first project in Italy, and Park Associati represents a virtuous partnership chosen by COIMA as a methodological approach aimed at creating contamination between the Italian and international architects most sensitive to the impact objectives of their projects. The two firms have shown a strong alignment on the principles of sustainability, especially in terms of environmental impact and continuity with the urban transformation of the area."
