GBPA Architects > Projects > Pola 9/11

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Pola 9/11

The building located in Milan at Via Pola 9-11 is owned by the Value Add I Italy Fund, managed by Kryalos SGR SpA.

The 20,000 sqm building complex is located in an area of great appeal for real estate investments: behind the Pirelli skyscraper and a few hundred metres from the Porta Nuova and Garibaldi skylines.

Number 11, with an area of about 8,000 sqm, is occupied by the new business centre called “Spaces” (a company of the IWG group, world leader in the supply of flexible workspaces, present in Italy with the Regus and Spaces brands), while number 9, with an area of about 12,000 sqm, is entirely rented for office use to leading international companies.

Part of GBPA ARCHITECTS’ architectural philosophy is focused on formal, functional and typological research of a design that can evolve in the future according to changes in practice and needs. The redevelopment project combines this type of research with a historical interpretation, creating an architectural fil rouge between the past and the future.

The project is based on a number of key concepts that take these important considerations into account and that have determined the success of the real estate operation, giving new life to a 1970s building that is now in line with the new developments in Porta Nuova.

Particularly noteworthy is the work on the Via Pola façade, characterised by its iconic architecture and strong aesthetic impact.

The design is characterised by the changing orientation of the windows, which create a “pleating” that connotes, differentiates and gives the building a dynamic appearance. The choice of white colour for the facades gives the building its uniqueness. The façade is in fact characterised by horizontal and vertical sunshades in white painted aluminium, which articulate its development, framing the various fronts.

The building’s re-functionalization also involved special care in defining the space for a new large double-height entrance hall, repositioning the lift systems, recovering the terraces previously occupied by the old equipment and, lastly, arranging the outdoor areas.

 

SITE

Milan | Italy

DATE

2017 - 2019

AREA

20.000 SQM

CLIENT

KRYALOS SGR SPA on behalf of Fondo Value Add I Italy

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Artelia Italia SPA

TYPE OF WORK

Concept, integrated design (scheme design, detail design, construction design), site supervision, planning permits, fire prevention, H&S, final inspections and client handover, LEED certification

PARTNERS-IN-CHARGE

Antonio Gioli, Federica De Leva

DESIGN TEAM

Andrea Trucillo (Project Leader), Giovanni Amosi, Nicola Borsato, Chiara Tesoro, Francesca Bettetini, Denis Zuffellato, Milica Cudic

MEP design and site supervision

ESA Engineering srl

Structure design

Studio Enrico Cobianchi

LEED Certification

RISE srl

Estimates and H&S

GAD srl

Façades design

Eurodesign sas di Adriano Crotti

CREDITS

Construction firm

SERCOS Spa

Photo and video credits

Mondadori Portfolio

An iconic architecture with a strong aesthetic impact

Redeveloped to make it efficient again, in line with the highest architectural standards required by the contemporary market and present in the interventions carried out close to the area.

The building has been rethought as a whole and interpreted in a sustainable way with a twofold objective: to give it architectural dignity and great recognisability in relation to the context in which it was built, in order to obtain an efficient building in step with the new Green Milan, attentive to the environment and the well-being of its inhabitants.

Recognition and sustainability

Greater transparency, a new relationship between inside and outside

The façades have been designed with different solar shading systems depending on the amount of sunlight.
To the north they are wide and transparent, while to the south, the most exposed side, they feature a very dense vertical sunshade system that provides control without interrupting the visual relationship between inside and outside.

Central entrance

Modifying the façade line by subtracting the surface area relating to the basement part of the building, the project envisages a radical reorganisation of the centralised entrance system into a single large reception area. The bay created delimits a protected reception area which leads to the reception area itself. A large double-height area will allow the distribution of the two independent lift cores for Pola 9 and Pola 11.

Flexible and contemporary spaces

An important aspect of today’s different way of conceiving workspaces is the enhancement of common areas. Considered residual in the past, today they are increasingly sought after and appreciated to create diversified work areas.

Renovation of the terraces, previously occupied by the old equipment, and finally the arrangement of the outdoor areas to have a greater relationship with the city.

LEED Gold certification

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