Giò Style Factory

What: former industrial area conversion
Who: Soprabita srl
Where: Milan - Italy
When: 2003 - 2006
AREA: 20.000 sq. m
AREA49: Marilena Magalotti | m&a_mutti&architetti

The project was born from the desire to recover an industrial building built in the 70s with the logic of the multi-storey factory: the raw materials, in fact, were loaded on the 4th floor and then gradually, in the course of work, were brought down from floor to floor until reaching, in the form of finished and packaged product, the floor of the trucks for transport. The Giò Style plant was therefore atypical: no traditional industrial sheds, but a single large block built in reinforced concrete, forty meters high, with floors with a loading capacity of more than 1000 kg/sq. m., 3000 sq. m. per floor and two-thirds of the sides were glazed at a distance of 40 m from each other.

In order to adequately divide the huge spaces of the old industrial plant and therefore make it possible to use them for offices, showrooms and lofts, it was necessary to work with different types of spaces, according to the best sun exposure, internal heights and plan dimensions. It was necessary to understand the needs of the end users of the different cuts, so open spaces equipped with flexible systems have been realized to allow further refurbishment. The corridors that act as a connecting link to the fractionated units unravel for more than 300 linear meters per floor, inside and outside the building, through a system of courtyards.

It has been opportunely chosen to use industrial, recycled or 'pre-finished' materials to exploit their authenticity and make the design choices easier to read; a large sample of structural and finishing materials soften the imposing existing structure.
The use of colours acts not only as a finishing element, but also as a design element that helps to orient oneself in the complexity of the paths; at the same time the green presence of the new turf grafted between the buildings of the industrial complex creates surprise and emotion. The architectural value is expressed, therefore, not so much by the changes made but by the use and interpretation of the materials used in the large surfaces and load-bearing structures, as well as in the furnishing details.