The headquarters of Dolce&Gabbana in Milan are located in a former office building from the 1960s, characterized by a reinforced concrete bearing structure and a continuous glass façade. Composed of two parallel volumes with a central internal courtyard, the building hosts the company’s showrooms, offices, a restaurant and a series of conference rooms for a total of 10,000 square metres. The project safeguards and optimizes the existing building, accentuating its most prized features while proposing new elegantly linear forms and refined natural materials like volcanic stone and wood. Light and transparency play an important role in defining the spaces. The aluminium structure of the original façade has been preserved and then faced entirely in glass, except for a series of teak blinds that give rhythm to the composition. The ground floor is raised with respect to street level by a basalt base decorated with Mediterranean plants. The street-side façade is distinguished by glass panes up to 6 metres long. The skylights on the ground floor mark out the entrance lobby, drawing the gaze toward the interior window. The courtyard is characterized by a pool of water lined in basalt, at the centre of which is a sort of island planted with agave and palm trees. The water level is flush with the pavement, giving a sense of continuity. The internal façades facing the courtyard are entirely in glass. The open spaces on each floor are divided by large partitions faced with black opal glass and illuminated by glass ceiling lamps. The fifth floor is occupied entirely by boardrooms. The exterior space, two stories high and covered by a pergola crafted from teak, hosts a volcanic stone garden that serves as a scenic backdrop for the meeting rooms. A broad stairway of volcanic stone conducts to the terrace above that overlooks the gardens of the convent below.
View Original