Built for the designer brand FENDI, this production factory stands out in terms of modern design for its sustainable planning and proper environmental response. The project is a joint effort of landscape architect Antonio Perrarzi and the urban design architecture firm, Piuarch. This manufacturing house is located in the picturesque Tuscan location near Florence of Italy. The built-up complex covers an area of 14,000 square meters, embracing the arid landscape and blending into the hills. Fendi factory is an exemplary blend of natural aesthetics and human needs.
Design
The design of the built-up mass takes a sustainable approach, with the landscape as a significant component. The overall volume of the structure is distributed horizontally instead of in orthodox verticality observed at factories. Unlike typical factories with a brutal exterior design, Fendi Factory has a calmer exterior that blends with the warm hills behind it. The region for neutral appearance might be due to the nature of Fendi’s work here, a flexible factory dedicated to house management, administration offices, warehouses, a restaurant and a school apart from just a workshop.
“We focused on healing its wounds and restoring consistency in a place that had been badly pilfered for years“ ―Antonio Perazzi, landscape architect.
The concept behind the Fendi factory stems from the preexisting brick quarry on which the site exists. The site was left without nurture and care from the wounds from machinery that bled off exploitation. Architect Anotonio Perrazi focused on returning some warmth to the site with a compatible design which would bring peace to the wounds. The use of recycled materials for the construction shows sympathy towards nature. The rustic look gives a calming sensation to the soul of the site and the people who inhabit the mass built upon it.
Planning
The planning is relatively simple, with an inviting exterior façade that perfectly blends with the background on which the building sets. A cantilever section acts as the complex’s main entrance, leading to a portico with several trees. Main office spaces are placed on the ground floor adjacent to courtyards or porticos, allowing for an uninterrupted connection with nature for the people working inside. The pathways interconnecting the spaces inside are fluid with nature without any sharp distinction. The built-up mass consists of a single-floor expanse in most of the perimeter.
The terrace is a walkable garden space accessible from the ground floor. It is covered with varieties of grass and shrubs. The placement of green space on top could be considered the principle of vertical garden adaption on the rooftops, as mentioned by the master architect, ‘Le Corbusier‘. Piuarch wanted an approach to give life to the destroyed landscape where the built mass stands, and having a vertical garden atop fulfils the need by giving a new life to the preoccupied green space.
Materials and Features
Patios and courtyards hollow the green roof that stands out; this also serves as the interior space to provide light and ventilation. These fenestrations allow for an active and healthy environment for the workers. Socialization and human interactions rejuvenate in the presence of natural light thus boosting work performance in Fendi. The restaurant inside the compound similarly sits next to a courtyard, allowing maximum connection with nature.
Materials used are relatively simple and minimal. The exterior is lined with a horizontally extending glass façade on which rests a concrete slab which is light yellow. The building block standing on the far end is white and contrasts with the whole of the built mass, but in terms of shape, the cube somewhat blends into the site, representing the hills’ verticality. Similarly, the interior spaces have a rustic appeal to them, with materials of warm colour juxtaposed with the walls. The glass elevation acts as a buffer between the entries and amenities.
Workspace
The spaces dedicated to producing designer items have a relatively cooler colour combination. The floors are lined with smooth marble and the columns are white, contrasting with the brown colour of the exterior. A cooler colour combination imparts attentiveness and alertness in a workspace. This coolness is neutralized by the warm greenery residing beside the workspace. As believed by Fendi, a worker should always have a chance to embrace warmth from the surroundings. The architecture caters for this demand of the client.
Approach towards Sustainability
Conceived around a landscape filled with greenery, one of the main principles for the project was energy efficiency. Contemporary time demands sustainable structures. The Fendi Factory has used materials compatible with the site to produce an energy-efficient system. The addition of a roof garden creates a microclimate of its own and shows nurture for the underlying floras. Birds and insects always find a time to visit the terrace of the factory to fill themselves with the nurture of greenery. The use of horizontality continuously allows for the flow of wind. Sustainability does not only cover aspects of nature; it provides for the need of humans inside the building. Having practical building science due to the integration of courtyards and porticos creates a better working environment and energy sustainability in the building.
References
Fendi Factory | Piuarch. (2019). Piuarch. [online] Available at: https://piuarch.it/works/fendi-factory/
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modulo. (2021). FENDI FACTORY. Modulo.net. [online] Available at: https://modulo.net/en/realizzazioni/fendi-factory
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Peacock, A. (2023, January 26). Piuarch designs Fendi’s factory in Florence with “extensive” green roof. Dezeen. [online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2023/01/26/fendi-factory-piuarch-florence-italy-green-roof/
[Accessed April 13, 2023]
Perrazi. (2019). Fendi Factory- Capannuccia, Florence – Studio Antonio Perazzi. Studio Antonio Perrazi. [online] Available at: https://antonioperazzi.com/en/projects/fendi-factory-capannuccia-florence/
[Accessed April 13, 2023]
Pintos, P. (2023, January 9). Fendi Factory / Piuarch. ArchDaily. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/994593/fendi-factory-piuarch
[Accessed April 13, 2023]
