Engie Headquarters

The project proposes the renovation of a building from the beginning of the ‘80s, outdated in terms of energy and distribution, converting it into a contemporary architecture, suited to the developing surrounding area of Bicocca district.

Rather than implementing a restyling process, the building’s architecture was rethought from scratch, re-proportioning and reshaping the volumes to achieve a much lighter and articulated configuration. The rebalancing of the building’s volumes also allowed to create new large terraces on the rooftop, as open-air meeting points, further connecting Engie HQ with its surroundings.

By adjusting the flows, the heart of the building's connections has shifted to the urban fabric towards the underground station and the main boulevard. The new porter's lodge, positioned right at the front of the property, is connected by a system of transparent glass and press-bent sheet metal with the fence of the building's property. Still within the perimeters of the site, an overhanging roof protects the way to the entrance..

The green areas are improved and enhanced by a shelter, making the complex accessible and visible. The flexibility of interior office spaces as well as the façade system was reconsidered, with a view to adapting them to the current energy-saving and soundproofing requirements.

The ceiling-to-floor design of the new insulated double glazing façade makes the most of the transparent casing and allows for a full visual connection between the workplace and the external environment. A compositional layer outlined by horizontal and vertical anodised aluminium intradoses, designed in such way as to fragment the building's size, has been super-imposed onto the design of the various glass modules. The rigorous and timeless lines of the new volumes, in a synthesis where architectural elements enhance the inconstant changes of light in the rhythm of time.