IL COSSONE OFFICE BUILDING, OSTIANO, ITALY.
DESIGN TEAM:
Calvi Rollino, Cereda, Panarese Architetti
> Adaptive reuse, biophilia, environmental architecture, genius loci, place as system, regenerative design
The project is part of a larger initiative focused on the adaptive reuse of several buildings in three different districts of Ostiano, a small town in Northern Italy. The goal is to accommodate a new industrial company that operates in the solar energy sector. The overall program, which includes the recovery of a grain warehouse near the town centre, aims to promote a transition from sustainable design to a regenerative design approach.
This project regards the rehabilitation of an industrial area near an agricultural territory with a high landscape and naturalistic value. Specifically, the purpose is to restore and renovate two existing prefabricated warehouses to house the production plant and the temporary storage of assembled items of the new industrial company. The new office building is planned between the two existing warehouses to achieve zero land consumption: the new building office is designed as the terminus of an existing ramp, which will be preserved and is located next to pre-existing underground storage tanks; such tanks will be reused for rainwater collection and the new offices will be built upon them. To preserve the memory of the previous industrial identity of the site, two pre-existing canopies will also be restored and reused; the existing ramp will provide access to the office building from a higher vantage point of view of the agricultural and naturalistic landscape. The debris from the demolitions of a few damaged structures will be recycled to model the terrain for the green areas. The project of water and greenery was an important input for the quality of both outdoor and indoor environments: they provide a naturalistic oasis, integrating the industrial area with the surrounding natural setting and supporting the settlement and passage of the numerous avifaunal species already existent in the area. We designed the interiors of the new offices to keep visual contact with the greenery of the outdoor environment: moreover, green interior walls, plants, and an abundance of natural light, including zenith lighting (which is a defining element of the atmosphere of a place) ensure high standards of quality and well-being for indoor living. Overall, the proposed regenerative approach, the choice of local materials, the use of technology to support architectural and environmental solutions, and the marked sensitivity towards the natural context show the great potential for rehabilitation and development of industrial areas in sensitive environmental contexts.