U okviru procesa restrukture bivšeg industrijskog centra, koji se nalazi u predgrađu na severo-istoku Milana i koji je sedište kompanije RCS Mediagroup, završena je izgradnja zgrade B5, novog poslovnog objekta koji je projektovao studio Barreca & La Varra. Projekat zgrade B5 je sastavni deo urbanističkog plana i na taj način doprinosi neverovatnoj transformaciji industrijske zone koja se odigrala zadnjih godina.
Urbanistički plan, od kada je napravljen 2001. godine kada je Boeri Studio (arhitekti Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca i Giovanni La Varra) pobedio na konkursu, imao je za cilj da unapredi i proširi zone u kojima su se nalazile bivše kancelarije i štamparija RCS preduzeća (oblast Rizzoli – severoistočno od Milana nedaleko od reke Lambro). Zajedno sa Boeri Stefanom arhitekti su radili na projektu za zgradu C, kompleksu sa kulom od 18 spratova i centralnim dvorištem koje se završava na obali reke. Nakon preseljenja osoblja RCSa 2007. godine u novu zgradu, započet je rad na sledeća dva projekta, uključujući i rad na projektu B5 koji nosi pečat arhitekata Gianandrea Barreca i Giovanni La Varra koji su osnovali svoj studio Barreca & La Varra 2008. godine.
B5 objekat ima originalni karakter u odnosu na ostale objekte kompleksa. Iako predstavlja aktivan deo sadržaja kompleksa, objekat je osmišljen da istraži određene oblasti koje su bile od naročitog značaja za arhitekte. Gianandrea Barreca izjavio je da ih je “interesovala ideja jedinstva i kontinuiteta materije. Dakle, čim je izgrađen prvi objekat sa staklenom fasadom na lokaciji, nametnula se ideja da se nastavi težnja ka ostvarivanju materijalne homogenosti.” Intervencija koju uvodi Barreca & La Varra podrazumeva uvođenje niza sadržaja, od redakcijskih kancelarija RCS novinskog odseka do fotografskih studija i prostora za multimedijalni sektor. Objekat je rezultat primene visoko profesionalnih metoda tokom svake faze razvoja projekta.
Projektovan kao sertifikovan objekat “klase A” (koja je ekvivalentna najvišoj oceni u sistemu za ocenjivanje zelenih zgrada – LEED platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designnajviši)), B5 ima volumen paralelopipeda sa staklenom fasadom koja prekriva pet spratova objekta i ima izgled koji podseća na sliku bar koda. Fasada je jedan od glavnih elemenata dizajna koji je zamišljen kao uređaj koji omogućava da se objekat poveže sa urbanim okolnim prostorima koji formiraju granicu oko lokacije, kao i da se podstaknu veća fleksibilnost i prostorni kvalitet unutrašnjih radnih prostora.
Fasada se sastoji od vertikalnih zastora naizmenično postavljenih u beloj, sivoj i crnoj boji (sem na prizemlju gde preovlađuje crna boja). “Tekstura” boje svakog nivoa je vizuelno odvojena od susednih nivoa. Vertikalnost objekta je naglašena pomoću crnih trakastih vertikalnih elemenata.
U projektu Barreca & La Varra restruktuiranje RCS kompleksa je od suštinskog značaja za očuvanje ovog dela grada i predstavlja katalizator za budući razvoj. Početkom 20. veka u Milanu je započeo razvoj velikih industrijskih oblasti koje su izdvojene od ostatka grada. Ove oblasti su rasle iz godine u godinu i sada predstavljaju periferiju grada. Izolovani pojedinačni razvojni procesi raštrkani su širom ruralne oblasti bez međusobnih veza i veza sa gradom. Danas, ove oblasti često nailaze na teškoće, zanemarivanje i uglavnom propadaju. Novi projekat RCSa je planiran kao da se radi o kulturno-društvenom centru koji odgovara na savremene probleme i potrebe. Obnova ove zone sastoji se od proširenja kompleksa u cilju formiranja socijalne rekonstrukcije, koja predstavlja ostvarenje ideala studija Barreca & La Varra, i odgovarajućeg sredstva za interakciju između izdavačkog odseka i zajednice Milana koja je svedok evolucije i rasta jedne od najznačajnijih kompanija u gradu.
Izgradnja objekta B5 nudi polazište za analize i komentare u okviru tema koje je pokrenuo projekat.
In the north-eastern outskirts of Milan, as part of the restructuring of the former industrial core that houses the RCS Mediagroup, the new office building B5 designed by Barreca & La Varra studio has just been completed. The building is an integral part of a master plan and it contributes to the incredible transformation which the production areas at the edge of the city have undergone over the past few years.
The master plan, since its inception in 2001 when Boeri Studio (composed of Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca and Giovanni La Varra) won the design competition by invitation, has aimed to upgrade and expand the areas occupied by the former work spaces and printing offices of the RCS company (located on via Rizzoli, northeast of Milan, near the River Lambro). Together with Stefano Boeri, the architects designed Building C, a complex with an 18 storey tower and a central courtyard that sits at the river’s edge. In 2007, when the RCS staff moved into the new building, work on the next two projects began, including the B5 project which bears the signature style of the architects Gianandrea Barreca and Giovanni La Varra, who founded their studio Barreca & La Varra in 2008.
With respect to the other works on the site, B5 is a building of original character and while actively employing a programatic logic, it is also intended as an exploration of certain ideas that are of particular importance to the architects. Gianandrea Barreca stated that they “were interested in the unity and continuity of matter. Thus, once the first building on the site was designed with a glass matrix facade, it seemed natural to continue to pursue this objective of material homogeneity”. The new intervention by Barreca & La Varra houses a variety of programs, from the editorial offices of the RCS newspaper group, to photography studios and spaces for the multimedia sector. The completed building is the result of a high level of design excellence which was applied at every stage throughout the development.
Designed as a “class A” certified structure (the equivalent of a LEED platinum – A Green Buildings highest rating), B5 is a parallelepiped volume, with a five story glass facade that wraps around the building, reminiscent of the image of a barcode. The facade is one of the main design elements and works as a device that allows the building to engage with the surrounding urban spaces that form the boundary of the site, as well as enhancing the flexibility and spatial quality of the interior workplace.
The facade is composed of alternating vertical shades of white, gray and black (with the exception of the ground floor where black is the dominant color). The color “texture” of each floor is staggered with respect to the adjacent floors of the building whose verticality is enhanced by the use of black string-course elements.
The appropriate restructuring of the RCS compound, in Barreca & La Varra’s project, was an important consideration in the historical preservation of this part of the city and serves as a catalyst for future development. From the beginning of the 20th century Milan has developed vast industrial areas that are set apart from the rest of the city. Located on the periphery, these areas continue to grow larger every year. Isolated developments are scattered throughout the countryside with little or no connection to eachother or the city.
Today these areas often experience hardship, neglect and more often than not, fall into ruin. The design of the RCS is intended to function as a social and cultural hub that responds to the contemporary issues and needs of the locality. The regeneration of the area includes an expansion of the existing compound in a manner that encompases and expresses the socially responsible ideals that are at the heart of Barrecas & La Varras work. It is also a new and useful vehicle for the interaction between the Milanese community and one of the most important business groups in the city which is continuing to grow and evolve.
In many ways the construction of B5 can be thought of as a starting point, it is opportunity for the city of Milan to uncover and explore the latent potentials of these challenging areas, for the future benefit of the city and its inhabitants.
