The 'horizontal' pattern of the building is one of its main features and our scheme has used this distinctive characteristic as a strong point in terms of the relationship with the street, acting as a contrast to the the verticality of the newer constructions. A thorough philological analysis of Zanuso's building, together with a new design direction concentrated on attention to detail, has endowed the spaces at Gioiaotto with a flexibility and internal brightness that is in keeping with contemporary architecture, supported by the prestige of a unique building that is very much part of Milan's history.
The entrance hall immediately presents a contrast between rough surfaces that refract and others that reflect the natural daylight and artificial lighting at night. Inside the floors a large glazed section follows the horizontal structural grid and is divided vertically into three. The upper part, opaque and inclined, directs natural light onto the ceiling. The middle part, completely transparent and openable places the working environment in communication with the outside while the lower part alternates between filing cabinets adjacent to workstations and concealed fan-coil heaters. The rhythm of the glazing inside is highlighted by fins in extra-clear glass that increase flexibility by enabling the installation of mobile partitions as desired, while on the outside via the alternation of fins in extra-clear glass and coloured glass in light-grey. In front of the columns are boxes in micro-perforated bent-pressed steel. In the hotel part the rhythm of the existing windows is highlighted via the alternation of blades in transparent glass placed in discontinuity with the fins and timber boxes.
As with the office area, the ground floor has a rhythm of transparent modules made from glass to guarantee maximum connection and exposing the accesses to the building at ground level, placed in discontinuity with the opaque structural parts covered by screen-printed windows on two levels to increase the three-dimensional effect of the facade.
Project: Park Associati (Filippo Pagliani, Michele Rossi), con General Planning srl ;
Design Team Park Associati : Alessandro Rossi (Project Leader), Alexia Caccavella, Marinella Ferrari, Marco Panzeri , Davide Pojaga, Elisa Taddei, Paolo Uboldi, Fabio Calciati (Rendering );
Specialist Site supervision, Structural, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: General Planning, Milano.
Team : Loris Colombo, Giuseppe Monti , Walter Cola, Luca Dagrada, Sergio Fiorati, Paolo Gardella, Danilo Gibertini, Annagiulia Gregori, Mara Olgiati, Franco Pesci, Francesco Prennushi, Paolo Rossanigo, Roberto Villa;
General Site supervision: Studio Ing. Ceruti ;
Artistic Site Supervision: Park Associati , Arch. Alessandro Rossi;
Project Management: Coima Srl, Milano;
Landscape Project: Land Srl;
Consultants:
LEED certification: GREENWICH Srl ;
Fire Consultancy: GAE Engineering, Torino, Ing. Amaro;
Safety Consultancy: General Planning, Milano, Ing. Vittorio Viganò;
Contractors:
General Contractor: C.E.S.I. Società Cooperativa GIOIAOTTO - Park Associati
