Capua 1880 Headquarters

By Elisa Grossi - 31 May 2024
Fiandre Architectural Surfaces, Viabizzuno have participated in the project

The fragrances of fresh citrus – invigorating lemon, intense orange, sweet mandarin, and full-bodied bergamot – are a common characteristic of the Calabrian countryside. Born of the strong Calabrian sun and warm Scirocco breezes, they are captured in the essential oils extracted from local fruit and plants by Capua 1880, whose customers number the most important players in the beauty industry. The company is also unique in being a family-run firm since the outset, deeply rooted in its local community but at the same time a business with an international reach. The combination is palpable at the Capua 1880 headquarters in Pellaro di Reggio Calabria overlooking the Strait of Messina.

Designed by Fruili-based firm GEZA Architettura, the requalification project of an abandoned Coca-Cola bottling plant was conceived not just as the regeneration of a brownfield site but as a wider creative program lying somewhere between the scale of a building complex and an urban project to become an example of innovation and environmental responsibility. The starting point was the company’s need to expand its production plant and create new business facilities on a par with its standing. The result is the transformation of a derelict area into a modern – and sustainable – production complex that succeeds in maintaining a close connection with its beautiful natural context. The headquarters symbolize two closely intermingled narratives: that of an enterprise based in the very south of Italy and an architecture firm from the very north of the country meeting and agreeing thanks to their rigorous notion of excellence, but also the story of a brownfield site brought to life again with the work of local constructors to reinforce links with the local community.

The two-level section of the complex is occupied by offices, with allied meeting rooms, spaces for events and functions, a cafeteria, and staff changing rooms. The production plant...