The metamorphosis of Azuhr Holding’s offices

In Padua’s Limena industrial zone, AMAART Architects has transformed Azuhr Holding’s offices, giving the existing industrial building a new façade conceived as a second skin of composite aluminum panels. The design not only gives a modern face to this industrial setting but also preserves the structure of the existing buildings, redefining the space with an interplay of volumes and reflections that both conceal and reveal the structure behind the façade.

The project highlights how the use of a single material can significantly change the notion of industrial architecture, introducing a contemporary and unique design within the site’s urban setting.

An interplay of volumes enveloping the Azuhr Holding offices

The project involved two rectangular volumes around an internal courtyard. Both the street and courtyard frontages have been clad with this envelope of composite aluminum panels. With its matt black finish, it gives the architecture an attractive and distinctive appearance compared to the surrounding industrial buildings.

The main street façade features differently shaped volumes that create a sense of movement, dynamically alternating between the transparent windows and the paneled surfaces. Large and reflective, the windows act as screens that capture views of the sky and nature, while letting light enter the interior and giving the façade a new architectural value that attracts the attention of passersby.

The internal courtyard, designed like a Zen garden

From the street, your eye is attracted to the large suspended bow window, which in turn attracts your attention to the setback central section of the façade. From here, a gate set like a stage backdrop in the façade leads to the internal courtyard, a timeless space defined by water.

Here the architects have created the atmosphere of a Zen garden with three water pools. The first is crossed by white platforms that lead to the management offices, the second has a large mirror waterfall fountain, while the third features a contemporary sculpture on a central platform. The elegant black stoneware paving blends harmoniously with the transparency of the water, while also recalling the color of the new façade panels.

 

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