Renovating spaces

The project entitled The Pecchi, by Park Associati, is not “just” a fascinating example of retrofitting, but rather an idea for a hybrid, open location intended to attract new forms of work and communication

The office complex, at Cassina de’ Pecchi, just outside Milan, was completely retrofitted by Park Associati, which in practice rethought the building in the light not only of the services required but also of welfare needs, a factor rapidly becoming essential in the design of new workplaces. The renovation project has its own highly expressive language, immediately recognisable from the external facade, originally clad with stone but now updated with glazing partially transparent and partially coloured red and grey, intersected by metal uprights in a shiny dark grey. The outdoor areas, previously used as car parks, were also given a facelift and are now gardens, fitted out for work and relaxation and with new pedestrian paths.

The central building at the entrance to the complex - “the hub building, incubator of several different functions,” as complex project leader Elisa Taddei explains - was totally refurbished and reconnected to the outdoors via the access ramps and the green makeover. It now includes new smart working and catering spaces, an auditorium and a gym.

In the new layout, the “amenity” space - the term canteen or cafeteria fails to do it justice - is an open white box without internal partitions, flooded with natural light from the large windows and skylight, its pristine clarity only interrupted by the grey and black furnishings and the flooring in Marazzi Treverkway stoneware wood-effect boards, here in the Olmo variety, chosen for its accurate reproduction of the colours and veining of elm wood. The covering of choice for the toilets, kitchen and back office, on the other hand, was the SistemC collection in white colour; with its 29 colour variants, this material offers designers a fascinating range of opportunities.

“I like working with Marazzi because their aesthetic and formal qualities are well suited to the types of projects I create, because we have an excellent relationship, in which they update me continually and professionally, and because I love their products,” Ms Taddei told us. 

The staircase, which cuts across the two-floor height of the amenity area to the upper floor - containing open spaces, lounges and meeting rooms - is a striking, dominant feature, almost a sculpted work of art. Its structure clad with matte black coated steel metal supports steps in Mystone Pietra di Vals porcelain stoneware, installed in a staggered arrangement, which intentionally create continuity with one of the first-floor meeting rooms and, outdoors, with the perimeter of the building and the large flight of steps leading to the entrance to the complex, paved with the same Mystone Pietra di Vals stoneware. In fact this environment-friendly collection, manufactured with leading-edge technology, has a variety of surface structures and extra-thick tile options that enable continuous installation from indoors to outdoors. To create a seamless aesthetic, Park Associati also refurbished the yard of an adjacent, less radically renovated building, using the SistemN collection in Grigio Scuro colour and bush-hammered finish in the 30x60 and 60x60 cm sizes.  

Ph. Andrea Martiradonna