Ferrero Technical Center Building Alba, Piedmont Architecture, Italian Design
Ferrero Technical Center in Alba Building
23 February 2023
Ferrero Technical Center, Alba, Piedmont, northwestern Italy
Design: Frigerio Design Group
photo : Studio Campo
Ferrero Technical Center
3 September 2021
Design: Frigerio Design Group
Location: Alba, Piedmont, northwestern Italy
Ferrero unveils the project for its new technical center in Alba, Italy.
Ferrero Technical Center in Alba, Piedmont region, north west Italy
The Italian food company has set a design competition to define the iconic architecture of the new Ferrero Technical Center. Frigerio Design Group has been selected for the human values of its design proposal: an industrial structure integrated into the landscape, designed for the well-being of employees and respect for the planet.
Alba (Cuneo, Italy) | A new technical center for Ferrero, the Italian multinational food company, where its unique corporate identity, history and know-how converge. The Ferrero Technical Center, designed by Italian studio Frigerio Design Group, stems from the need to combine the company’s engineering operations, in particular those devoted to designing new production lines, with the workshop where they are developed – currently not located within the factory.
Following a competition by invitation held by Ferrero in 2017, the project was awarded to Frigerio Design Group. The concept of the design centers on a building that is sustainable and integrated in the territory but also able to support management and operational functions: for automated and interconnected production. The new center boasts a 12,700 sq m ecological building that is nZEB (nearly Zero Energy Building) and will host 200 employees. The work began in 2020 and will be completed in December 2021.
Frigerio Design Group, design concept for new Ferrero technical center:
The Ferrero Technical Center is located in Alba, Italy, a city closely connected to the history of the group and where Ferrero has its biggest Italian production facility. The architectural project was inspired by the scenery, nature and colors of the Langhe, the hilly area located in Piedmont region in northern Italy. They were reinterpreted through abstract geometries using warm colors from yellow to red.
Simple and linear architecture conceals plants and technical equipment. The compact building maximizes all the passive space and minimizes the resources needed for operations and maintenance. Safety and sensorial comfort are key to the entire architecture, aiming at total quality in line with the standards of Industry 4.0: automation and interconnection, human / machine reciprocity and insertion in a specific ecosystem. Technology is ubiquitous throughout the new center, but it is never obtrusive. It is always seamlessly integrated in a recognizable and reassuring architecture.
Frigerio Design Group, design concept for new Ferrero technical center:
The architectural project
Transparency and opacity define the iconic architecture: the offices located on the last floor have transparent facades, whereas the lower floors containing the workshop and plants are hidden from view. The great hall, entirely glazed, covers one end from ground to roof with a grand staircase connecting the three floors of the building.
The workshop was designed with a minimal and essential floorplan where the primary color is white. Openings in the facade capture natural light while preventing direct sunlight: the architect Enrico Frigerio refers to them as actual “gills” that enable the building to breathe. The curtain walls selected for this area have micro-perforated and sound-absorbing panels to improve the quality of internal acoustics and minimize any sound pollution.
Frigerio Design Group, design concept for new Ferrero technical center:
In the offices, located on the last floor, the materials and colors reproduce the landscape and nature surrounding the building, so making the offices an actual “high-altitude landscape”. Six green areas, named by the architect “flying gardens”, were introduced to perform a bioclimatic, acoustic and aesthetic function.
Sustainability and architectural comfort
The building – bioclimatic and nZEB (nearly Zero Energy Building) – was developed to minimize carbon dioxide emissions. The volume is compact, made from industrial materials, mainly dry assembled: it maximizes all the passive contributions (light, air and sunshine) and minimizes the resources needed for its management and maintenance, without renouncing a sober and clear identity. A photovoltaic system on the roof generates a peak of 300 kW.
Frigerio Design Group, design concept for new Ferrero technical center:
Frigerio Design Group, design concept for new Ferrero technical center, composition diagram:
Frigerio Design Group, design concept for new Ferrero technical center, ventilation:
Frigerio Design Group, design concept for new Ferrero technical center, elevation:
Ferrero Technical Center Alba, Piedmont Building, Italy – Building Information
Architect Enrico Frigerio of Frigerio Design Group:
Ferrero Technical Center Alba, Piedmont Building images / information received 030921
Location: Alba, Piedmont, north Italy, southern Europe
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