Office Building Principe Amedeo 5 / Vittorio Grassi Architetto & Partners

Curated by Clara Ott

Architects: Vittorio Grassi Architetto & Partners
Area: 8700 m²
Year: 2019
Photographs: Diego De Pol
Manufacturers: D-Line, Guardian Glass, 3D Surface, AGC Flat Glass Italian, Albed Delmonte, Artigianlegno, Gualini S.p.A., Rigomarmi, Schüco International Italia, Secco Sistemi Spa, Unflair Spa, Universal Selecta Spa
Architectural Design: Vittorio Grassi, Marco Aloisini

Text description provided by the architects. Principe Amedeo 5” is an architectural redevelopment project that transforms the former headquarters of the American consulate in Milan into a prestigious and contemporary office building.

The intervention dealt with the restoration, extension and interior design, with a unitary methodological approach. The project respects the historic building and combines the quality of existing spaces with the flexibility and versatility the contemporary office requires, distributing 500 workstations on the 5 floors of the building for a total of about 9,000 sqm.
The result is an environment full of history and at the same time of innovation and creative inspiration.

The original building dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and it is characterized by an elegant facade that stands out in the urban fabric; the internal courtyard, typical of the historic Milanese architecture, and the two majestic staircases dividing the two wings, are the main components of the building's expressive equipment. The restoration project enhanced them by consolidating the historical relationship with the urban environment.

The internal courtyard has been completely freed from parking spaces and transformed into a flourishing garden, in the best Milanese tradition. In the back of the courtyard, as in a scenographic backdrop, a new double-height glass volume has been created to house comfortable and well-lit working and sharing spaces.

The roof of the main building was demolished and an elevation was created with a transparent attic floor of 600 sqm, surrounded by a roof garden and large terraces overlooked by the work spaces and from which you can enjoy an enchanting view of the Milanese skyline.

The project reflects the attention to environmental sustainability, with the aim of obtaining the LEED Gold certification.
The use of recycled or recyclable ecological materials, such as laminated beech wood for curtain walls, accompanied by selective screen-printed glass with a decorative parametric motif, and super-insulation techniques for the containment of energy consumption contribute to achieving this goal, as well as the installation of air heat pumps and photovoltaic panels on the roof that guarantee the supply of energy from renewable sources.

Internally, in the atrium, in the stairs and, in general in the common areas, the project reinterprets the historic building with wall coverings made of refined vertical bas-relief textures, combined with oak wood portals, basalt floors and spectacular chandeliers that enhance the plaster decorations of the vaults.

Inside the offices, the intervention combines the elegant and large existing spaces with the needs of contemporary workstations.

The design and color of the new windows, the diffused and punctual lighting, the raised floors and the refined coverings of the bathrooms, define a simple atmosphere with a strong distinctive trait, where brightness, flexibility and attention to detail give the spaces a unique character.