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It was 1842 when Pietro Riva, a young shipwright who had just arrived in Sarnico, on the shores of Lake Iseo, earned the trust of the locals by refitting many of the fishermen’s boats that had been destroyed by a violent storm. Thus began the story of Riva Yacht, a shipyard founded in Franciacorta that became one of the world’s best-known nautical brands within a century. Its consecration on the international stage as Made in Italy excellence occurred in the 1950s with Carlo Riva, engineer and great-grandson of the founder, at the helm. Carlo designed the iconic motorboat Aquarama, launched in 1962. In the early 2000s, after Ferretti Group’s acquisition of the brand, the production facility in La Spezia, designed by MMAA_Studio Manfroni & Associati, came into operation. Twenty years later, the firm carried out an important expansion of the Ligurian hub, which houses the Riva Yacht headquarters.
The project complements the existing production facilities with a functional program that includes operational and executive offices, a showroom, and a winter garden with a sea view. Thanks to the decision to redefine the coastline with an infill of over 3 ha, the shipyard has a very functional floorplan, with two symmetrical docks, behind which is the production area. The new buildings, located in front of the two production warehouses, are divided into two blocks. Each block is developed in a mirror-image manner around a dock: on each side, two three-story buildings face each other, supporting a canopy that protects the dock while being connected by a bridge element that was conceived as a large lattice beam. These two connecting volumes, suspended over the water, host representative offices and exhibition spaces with views of the boats under construction.
Contact with the sea represents the common thread of the project: all the workspaces enjoy a view of the gulf. This decision holds a symbolic value connected to the company’s activity, but also plays an important role in contributing to the well-being of the people who work within the complex. In terms of color, the exteriors of the buildings echo the hues of the sea, which are also the historic colors of the brand: midnight blue and aquamarine. The side and rear front of the building consist of ventilated porcelain façades, traversed by continuous terraces that recall the walkways that provide access to a ship’s cabins. The gulf-facing façade opens onto the sea with large windows protected by metal sunshade systems.
The coverings above the dock created an opportunity to house a solar/photovoltaic panel system and provide shelter from the elements, allowing these spaces on the water to be used all year long. On the western dock, the final work of outfitting the floating boats is carried out, while the eastern dock has a more commercial and exhibition function: it is used to show potential buyers the boat on the water or present a new ship model to the press. The space between the two docks is the arrival point of the travel lift that lowers the yachts into the sea, and the place where the official launching ceremonies for new boats are held.
Location: La Spezia, Italy
Client: Ferretti Group
Completion: 2023
Gross Floor Area: 6,800 m2
Architect and Interior Designer, Construction Project Manager: MMAA_Studio Manfroni & Associati Building A Interior Designer: Alessandro Veralli Architetto
Main Contractor: Garc
Structural Consultant: Structurama
Photography: Andrea Bosio, courtesy of MMAA_Studio Manfroni & Associati
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