Progetto CMR is a Milan-based architecture and design firm, established in 1994 by architect Massimo Roj, alongside engineer Marco Ferrario and architect Antonella Mantica. The firm’s ‘primary objective’ is to create flexible and efficient designs, which are sustainable. Their approach is based on the fundamental principles of ‘put the client first’ as well as integrative design. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
As of 2021, the firm was ranked within the top 100 architectural firms in the world according to the WA100 annual survey by Building Design. (Building Design, 2021) In this article, we shall take you through 15 must-know projects and proposals of Progetto CMR.
1. Bocconi University New Building | Progetto CMR
Client: Università Bocconi
Location: Milan, Italy
Progetto CMR is responsible for the first piece of contemporary architecture to be built in Milan’s historically rich center in a long time. The design breaks the traditions of both the physical and the conceptual barriers of the architecture of the old university, symbolizing the spirit of moving forward with the changing times. The aspect of sustainability in this work aims at providing each occupant with air and light of homogeneous quality as well as quantity. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
2. International Specialised Hospital of Uganda
Client: FINASI Srl
Location: Kampala, Uganda
This project is one of the ventures of Progetto CMR in healthcare. Abbreviated as ISHU, this medical center will encompass a wide variety of specialties, and is presently under construction. The primary drivers of design here were sustainability and innovation, while ‘designing for the human scale’, a concept which is explored often by the firm in their works. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
3. Martini One Building
Client: Martini&Rossi
Location: Pessione, Italy
Date of Involvement: 2013
This building is exemplary for Progetto CMR’s design of the screening system in response to the solar conditions. The screening system is designed in such a way that it allows a variation in shading for the different seasons of the year, thus saving energy and increasing indoor comfort. The type of screening on each façade depends on the direction. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
4. Duao Art Museum
Client: HKE Group
Location: Ningbo, China
Date of Involvement: 2015
Situated in a small mountainous village in China, we find this contemporary style art museum. Progetto CMR aimed to build a resilient relationship between the ‘artificial building’ and nature, whilst preserving the local culture. The design entails 7 wings connected to a central space and projecting out from it, thus capturing views of the natural landscape from multiple directions. More natural elements are brought into space with the presence of a small courtyard. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
5. Tianjin Planning Exhibition Hall | Progetto CMR
Client: Hedo
Location: Tianjin, China
This project by Progetto CMR again serves as a bridge – but not between nature and built form, but instead between two different cultures, in a particularly interesting historical context. The location is within Tianjin’s former Italian Concession (active between 1902 and 1945) and the immediate region has the largest concentration of authentic Italian architecture in China. Therefore, the design takes typical elements of Italian architecture and reinterprets them in a contemporary sense, to integrate it harmoniously with the neighboring urban context. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
6. Tianjin Quanjian FC Stadium
Client: Songjiang Real Estate
Location: Tianjin, China
Inaugurated back in 2011, this stadium is an example of Progetto CMR’s sustainable approach to design. This building incorporates features like an inclined canopy to collect rainwater for reuse in the restroom facilities, apart from geothermal heating and cooling to reduce the overall energy demand. (Designboom, 2011)
7. Xiantao Big Data Valley
Client: Xiantao Big Data Valley Corp.
Location: Chongqing, China
Date of Involvement: 2015
Progetto CMR envisions this master planning project as a ‘new way’ of conceiving ‘Big Data’ industrial zones. The intent is to mix the strength of IT with a range of facilities, to create a self-sufficient district. The project is under construction presently. The intent of the client and the well-being of the users is balanced – thus showcasing an equally dominating presence of green areas, parks, gardens, and lakes, in the heart of the development. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
8. Palazzo Milano
Client: Chonghong Construction
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Date of Involvement: 2014
This building speaks sheer Milanese rationalism in the context of Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. Progetto CMR conceived this residential building as being reminiscent of Europe but in direct connection with the immediate surrounding natural elements. With large windows, a Zen Garden at an elevation, and a retail podium connecting it to the urban environment, this building caters to the Asian citizens who are in search of a higher quality of life. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
9. Marilleva 1400
Client: Provincia Autonoma di Trento
Location: Mezzana, Italy
Date of Involvement: 2014
Integration with the mountainous landscape was the aim of Progetto CMR for this hospitality project. This is a tourist complex that serves a dual function – Sky Village, for typical tourists inclined towards sport, fun, outdoor activities, etc., and Eco Hub, for more attention towards creating a relationship with the valley and strategic for territorial development and protection of the mountain landscape. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
10. Residenzia Corti Nuove | Progetto CMR
Client: Addamiano
Location: Como, Italy
A housing project by Progetto CMR, which showcases their focus on not merely sustainability but also on design for the human scale. Each house overlooks both the external surroundings as well as the green internal courtyard. The spaces are designed in accordance to reduce the energy demand for both the summers as well as the winters. The bioclimatic approach of the design and appropriate design of the façades ensures natural light, high comfort, and energy savings. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
11. The Sign | Progetto CMR
Client: Ben Stabili
Location: Milan, Italy
Date of Involvement: 2013
This building, a cutting-edge corporate complex, is a requalification of an industrial site of the 1950s. The new and innovative look is in line with the local creatively vivid atmosphere of the area, being close to the renowned international university IULM in Milan.
Progetto CMR designed a strongly contemporary façade in harmony with the other blocks in the area, thus responding to the context. There is a square between the buildings, which has become a public square for the users, in alignment with the intention behind designing the square. This project is in line with the firm’s goal of environmental as well as social sustainability. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
12. Chua Lang Street Building
Client: Lang Thuong Trade and Service
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
The two 100-meter-tall buildings, with a total of 27 floors, will house a diverse functional mix: Tower A, on the north, will house 190 apartments, and Tower B, on the south, would house offices. The platform connecting the two buildings will be utilized for commercial purposes, featuring shops, meeting rooms, a swimming pool, spa, and gym. The rich flora will bloom on the terraces, particularly in the center court with the private square, which houses the towers’ main entry lobbies. Progetto CMR carefully analyzed the bioclimatic context and designed a properly oriented form with a high-performing façade. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
13. Caffè Vero
Client: Estel
Location: Vicenza, Italy
For this interior design project, Progetto CMR made the materials’ refined simplicity and essentiality the central point around which all the other elements of the design revolve. Intertwined in a sophisticated way with the building’s structural elements, it creates a warm and cozy atmosphere that plays on the contrast of light and shadow in a scenic case, provided by the transparency of the main façade of the building. Natural light permeates the area, guiding guests into the double-height lounge, which greets them in a New York-style ambiance. (ArchDaily, 2017)
14. Progetto CMR New Headquarters
Client: CMR Project
Location: Milan, Italy
The new headquarters reflect the many decades of expertise of the numerous experts that work at Progetto CMR, including their knowledge of space planning, with a focus on the notion of smart working, best practices for sustainability, and company-designed furniture and goods. The new structure is located in the city’s south-eastern outskirts, a region that has recently experienced strong cultural expansion. Although separate areas on floors are considered to carry out distinct roles and activities, each space is meant to alter to adapt to the work plan and objectives. (Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects, n.d.)
15. Chongqing Jihua Yuelai Eco-Oxygen Tower Project | Progetto CMR
Client: Jihua Group Corporation
Location: Chongqing, China
Date of Involvement: 2016
Looking to the future rise of the movement of sustainable and green architecture, Progetto CMR designed this ongoing Eco-Oxygen Tower project. The form is derived from the biomimicry of a flower that grows upwards, thus generating an organic form. This project creates a bridge between luxury and sustainability, showcasing how this relationship can be made feasible.
References
- ArchDaily. (2017). Caffè Vero / ProgettoCMR. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/876440/caffe-vero-progettocmr [Accessed 9 Jul. 2021].
- Building Design (2021). WA100 2021: The big list. [online] Building Design. Available at: https://www.bdonline.co.uk/wa100-2021-the-big-list/5109915.article [Accessed 6 Jul. 2021].
- Designboom (2011). progetto CMR / massimo roj: tianjin songjiang FC stadium. designboom | architecture & design magazine. [online] 15 Oct. Available at: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/massimo-roj-progetto-cmr-tianjin-songjiang-fc-stadium/. [Accessed 6 Jul. 2021].
- Progetto CMR – Massimo Roj Architects. (n.d.). About. [online] Available at: https://www.progettocmr.com/en/about/ [Accessed 6 Jul. 2021].
