When Calligaris, the leading international furniture company in Italy, proposed us to breath new life into their headquarters which we originally designed back in 90’s we embraced this opportunity with open arms.
STUDIO NAME: ENRICO FRANZOLINI ARCHITETTURA
DESIGN TEAM: ARCH. ENRICO FRANZOLINI – ARCH. TOMMASO FRANZOLINI – ARCH. SIMONE PRINCISGH – ING. GIORGIO PERSELLO
AREA: ITALIA – FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA
LOCATION: Manzano – (Udine)
YEAR: 2017/2018
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: PAOLO FERRARI
OTHER CREDITS: PAVARIN F.lli Snc
Calligaris ambition was to create a new image for their front offices responding to the recent global growth of the company as well as upgrading the functional and energy performance of building.
Taking inspiration from the very soul of the company’s products, fabrics, the design researched the possibility to redefine the façade as a performative textile transforming the perception of the existing building while at the same time offering improved environmental protection to the building envelope. The result is a lightweight weave of aluminium tubes specifically choreographed to reflect the beauty of the company’s handcrafted straw weaving still present in the production of their chairs.
The weave effect is purposefully accentuated by the contrast between the neutral white of the aluminium façade and the deep black of the new thermal coating. This new iconic ensemble dialogues with the company red of the new entrance canopy and the sculptural metal cylinder on the roof containing the upgraded mechanical equipment.
At night, the newly proposed external lighting accentuates the three-dimensional effect of the facade and delineates, together with extensive new green areas, the public realm and approach to the building.