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An important new addition has joined the buildings making up the Milan headquarters of the eyewear technology giant Luxottica. The very central location between Piazza Cadorna, Foro Buonaparte, and Corso Magenta, where historic palazzi flank modern constructions, was a key consideration in the design process. In fact, although not visible from the street and Piazza Cadorna, the new building – a piece of technological and esthetic bravura – creates complex and subtle links with its immediate neighbors that required bold design decisions. Transparent yet reflective, it stands as a distinctive independent presence that nonetheless dialogues with its context of pre-existing buildings but also the nearby vegetation. The result is a new addition that not only blends with its context but enhances its urban setting.
When characterized by important innovative, esthetic and functional features, office buildings have the potential to enhance whole neighborhoods. Even if designed as physical reflections of the client, when their design takes the buildings of its urban context into account – here the other Luxottica buildings – the new addition benefits the entire urban setting. This is further reinforced when the interiors are also conceived to enhance the working environments of its occupants. In fact, it is this unity of beauty and function that makes the new building the central focus of the headquarter complex, its quiet yet assertive presence creating a liaison with the other buildings, their histories and adjacent park. It could almost be called a reference blueprint for state-of-the-art architecture that successfully binds together its urban context through an innovative design blending esthetics and functionality.
The restrained yet fluid architectural program combines with the latest innovative technology, quality materials and construction expertise. The slightly convex façades lend a decisive elegance to...
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