Alpewa is a leading company in the field of metalworking and coatings for roofs and facades. Its focus is to cooperate with all the players who process, produce and plan in the metal construction industry, thus acting as a reliable partner in all areas of innovative architecture with roofing systems, façade systems, waterproofing membranes and accessories. The constant search for new technologies is one of the most important characteristics of Alpewa and is one of the decisive factors in the design of the new Gaico headquarters.
The project called “A second skin” started with the request for the insertion of a new volume, a wing of the building intended for the extension of the company headquarters. The real challenge of this project was to fit in as harmoniously as possible an architectural element with important, rigid geometries, inevitably defined by production requirements. The new wing of the building overlooks the main access road to the town, so it had to represent the image of the company, both in its historic headquarters and in the part being extended along the inner courtyard with the construction of the new management offices.
How, then, could we give personality to a volume which is in itself very static? The solution was immediately found in the modular use of light: the building should never be overshadowed by taller adjacent buildings. For this reason, Alpewa designed and built a sort of second perimeter structure, formed by undulating and perforated metal profiles.
A second skin for the building that would be able to modulate the light according to time of day, and would restore movement and harmony to the original building. The fundamental elements that determined the choice of Alpewa material and products were undoubtedly the shape and type of sheet metal that allows the creation of wavy parts and the inclination of the module. In addition, the panel emphasises the plays and patterns created by the light passing through it. The microperforation at a constant pitch, in fact, against an apparently linear order returned by a close-up view, dematerialises the surface.
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