A few years after its inauguration, the Pratic doubles.
Same customers and same architects who believe in the same values: simplicity and efficiency.
The enlargement of the Pratic (9.000 sqm) is built in adherence to the industrial building of the first lot (2011) and its functional program is: offices, services, canteen, wellness area, production, warehouses, painting plant, as well as parking areas and service areas included in the rigorous design of the open spaces.
The new building consists of two simple elements: the rhythm given by the windows, which repeats and declares continuity with the existing facade, and the reflecting skin, which dissolves the new volume in the sky. The first lot, black and grainy, seems to arise from the ground, settling the building in place; the second lot mirrors the landscape and the light with images that are always different due to weather variability.
The facade consists of a single material, of a unique size: a 4 centimeters thick polycarbonate panel, about 10 meters high, fixed to prefabricated concrete structure. The panels consist of two different types of polycarbonate combined together: the rear side has an opaque compound which impedes the light to pass through, while the front is “frozen”. In this way the load-bearing structure is completely hidden behind the cladding system and the verticality of the new facade sets up an interesting dialogue with the black concrete panels of the existent building. From afar the building reflects the sky and appears cladded by huge glass plates, while close up it looks “lighter”, maintaining a dialogue with the pre-existence.
The building demonstrates that industrial architecture can add value to the landscape and improve the quality of the workplace. This is a great opportunity to rethink the relationship between architecture and nature, putting man back in the middle.
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