Dubbed Spazio’TENGO, the project for the Coop Reno corporate campus in Castel Guelfo, Bologna, expresses Politecnica and Fabrica’s vision for the future of Coop Reno. Spazio’TENGO isn’t just a workplace for the consumer cooperative’s employees, but a space to experience, spend time, learn, and socialize.
THE PLAN Media House has produced a documentary about this strongly socially oriented project that centers on openness to community and integration into its local context. The project combined innovative technologies with strategies for reducing environmental impact as a contribution to overhauling its entire sector.
Spazio’TENGO: like a plant with deep local roots
The project by Politecnica and Fabrica – the winners of an invitation-only competition announced by the client – grew out of the metaphor of a plant putting down its roots and then budding. The buds are the individual buildings that make up the campus. A canopy, which recalls the image of the arching porticos of Bologna, connects the buds. Covered by a green roof, the canopy acts as the connective tissue between the buildings, while also sheltering outdoor walkways, which are open to everyone. Pathways branch off this axis to the various buildings, which are designed to be expandable to meet future functional, economic, and organizational needs.
The project involves three main buildings: The largest houses the company offices, and the second, an auditorium with seating for over 280. The third building hosts various functions, including spaces dedicated to start-ups, a playroom, and educational areas for after-school activities. Set some distance away, a fourth logistics building also provides accommodation for Coop Reno staff and collaborators. Finally, the project includes an extensive park with almost 400 meters of shared-use paths.
The plant’s buds
The office building occupies four aboveground levels and features an open-plan design to maximize layout flexibility. At the heart of the building is a large, full-height central atrium. Illuminated by a skylight and with suspended stairs and walkways, this space spans the entire building. The multi-use building is the twin of the office building, but smaller. Seamlessly integrated into the design of the gardens, a covered glass walkway connects the office building to the new auditorium, which can host a range of events and is open to the community.
The three main buildings are wrapped in glass curtain walls that feature excellent transparency and transmittance of natural light. Glare is reduced by passive sun shading comprising anodized aluminum slats custom-made for the project using a calendaring process to recall the image of a tree’s growth rings. From the energy perspective, all the buildings have NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) classification.
Credits
Location: Bologna, Italy
Client: Coop Reno
Architect: Politecnica Ingegneria e Architettura with Fabrica
Gross Floor Area: 6890 sq. m
Photography by Enrico Cano, courtesy of Politecnica
