Italian architects Massimo Mariani have completed the company headquarters for software company Cabel Industry in Empoli, near Florence, Italy.
The building has two storeys above ground, with exhibition spaces in the basement.
The area around the building has been excavated to admit light to the lower level.
Three bridges span the gap, which contains a public lawn.
The structure is made of pre-cast, concrete components with aluminium cladding on the roof and ends.
Photographs by Alessandro Ciampi.
Here’s some more information from Massimo Mariani:
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CABEL INDUSTRY
Just out the edge of the town of Empoli, the building is the Cabel headquarter (a company producing software systems for banks), it measures 4.500 square meters and it is sited inside the local industrial area.
Partially set into the ground, the building is composed of two extended floors out the ground level and a vault under. Along the main front the facade is protected by a long slice of public green.
The visitor arrives on the ground level through three suspended bridges launched on a large excavation which lights the vault designed to house expositions and art installations. Night time this empty space becomes a lighting pool which raises architecture from the ground.
The underground floor hold a printing house and open spaces designed for various initiatives; the ground floor interiors are conceptualized as many kind of glass spaces in a modern interaction of liquid working areas like acquarium. On the upper floor there are directional bureaus and representative offices with a patio and terrace. The elevators and distributional stairs take up the middle section of the structural grid, made of stone tiles with steel elevators.
Everything comes out from a single sign: architectural global shape, fastenings, entrance cuts, furniture handles and decorations. During the day coloured glass create liquid chromatic effects inside black and white offices, instead of night time when coloured cuts project out vivid lighting effects underlining holes, cuts and shapes of the building.
The building is made of precast concrete elements with aluminium cladding on the roof and rounded facades.
Roof cladding hide photovoltaic systems producing 150Kw, so the building is energetically self-sufficient.
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Posted by Rose Etherington
March 20th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I normally despise space-agey design, but I love this. The overall form is fluid and simple, and the apertures are creative but not too wacky.
I think the best part is those rolling garage doors (?) The plan’s too small so I can’t tell exactly what it opens to so I’m just assuming.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
It seems a very comfortable space….=]
March 20th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
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Rather than the usual concrete square industrial box which are spread all over Italy I’ll have this kind of goofy supersized object à la Claes Oldenburg.
It has nothing to do with good integration between buildings and landscape but at least it’ll cheer me up a little.
March 21st, 2009 at 3:44 am
well, this is quite something. really looks archigram 70’s, very retro, and certainly not the glitz we’ve been pummeled with lately. and despite the envelope no one would would get lost in the rectilinear plan. well done and refreshing!
March 21st, 2009 at 10:54 pm
wonderful
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:41 am
Mmm-actual modernism. That plan- what relief! To say nothing of comfortbale functional spaces. We don’t all want to be paranoid schizoid adolescents all our lives.
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:06 am
amazing
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:34 am
Futuristic yet friendly, I love it
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:05 am
This should be ;located in one of those Italian outskirt industrial area, seeing from the images, it is rather attemting to say that it is a better architecture…
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:41 am
It would have been so easy to mess this up but it has been pulled off amazingly. Well done.