The design studio tissellistudioarchitetti has realised the new CIA Conad headquarters on the outskirts of the city of Forlì, precisely within a production area on the edge of the ancient Roman centuriazione.
The Sidera building develops horizontally for a length of 100 metres and a height of 33 and, in its external lines, reflects the rationality and pragmatism of the cooperative, making the headquarters itself the first representation of the company’s scientific rigour.
The aluminium of the slats is the undisputed star of the project, elegantly reflecting natural light and taking on different connotations and colours at different times of day and depending on the weather. This, combined with the tight rhythm of the louvres, creates the pleasant optical effect of perceiving the building as an opaque block, or transparent, depending on the point of view from which it is viewed.
The concept of the envelope does not only concern the perimeter surfaces but includes the roof, which is immediately seen as a kind of fifth elevation. The choice falls on the vernacular theme of the pitched roof, in itself unprecedented in an industrial context: six sloping pitches are thus articulated over the territory, exploiting the three large skylights as links, in search of a dialogue with the skyline of the nearby Apennines.
The study of the interior itself was approached as an authentic component, making the envelope the skin of a more complex organism, articulated in a continuous succession of stimuli dedicated to and designed for those who work and produce.
The precepts of Neuro architecture guided most of the design choices, aimed at the search for the ideal working space: thus external factors such as light, air, sound, visuals, enter the building in the form of calibrated and controlled architectural components.
The glass skin of the Sidera controls the inflow of natural light, which floods every working space; the light bodies follow the 24-hour circadian rhythm.
Ventilation control technologies and the total absence of opening windows make the indoor air clean and healthy despite being in one of the most polluted areas in Europe.
From every interior space and from any level it is possible to overlook the green surroundings.
All these factors, combined with the control of acoustic insulation, guarantee working conditions of extreme psychophysical well-being, which inevitably translates into a higher quality of work for employees.
No colour has been added beyond the natural pigmentation of the materials: wood, aluminium and concrete proudly claim their nature, and this also applies to the many custom-made furnishings in Corian.
Between scales and diagonal cuts, the large interior staircase is the only room from which the Sidera can be enjoyed in all its height. The hypertrophic and sinuous lines play with contrast, drawing the visitor in like a disruptive centripetal force. Large walkways accommodate comfortable seating, present here as meeting points inviting people to stop and interact with each other, helping to create a sense of community within the office.
The entrance, the distribution spaces, the assembly hall and the top floor are articulated in an interplay of alternating compression between walls and ceilings, inclined and faceted surfaces.
The Sidera is a living, creative organism that denies the rigid logic of orthogonality, and avoids any static constraints obliging it to monumental and banal symmetries.
For more information visit www.tissellistudio.com.
CREDITS
Project: Sidera Building
Studio: tissellistudioarchitetti
Location: Forlì
Year: 2023
