This project involves the complete transformation of an old school building in a warehouse district in Rome into the new headquarters and offices for Italpromo & Libardi Associati, an important Italian communications agency. Our main objective is to innovate an office space typology by investigating the spatial, functional and social relationships of the complex that are established in the contemporary work place. So we paid particular attention to the relationships between the collectivity and individuality, the public and private spaces, and between production and social areas. The work place is therefore conceived as a complex network that alternates a modulated series of work stations to more exceptional moments for meeting areas.
Since each activity requires an appropriate spatial designation, we organized the building vertically into three different systems: the “vacuum” for the public space, the “intestine” for meeting areas, and the “neutral zone” for open spaces.
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Besides their functional independence, these three systems are characterized by their different spatial qualities: -the “vacuum” is physically and conceptually as a hallway and it is similar to a full-height canyon intersected by a complex system of stairs, bridges and galleries. Conceived as an urban site in which the outside merges in the inside space, the “vacuum” appears as a landscaped plaza programmed as social space with restroom facilities;
-The “intestine” is a huge transparent body made of acrylic, a kind of organic membrane that runs through all the building levels in a system of mezzanines, or intermediate landings. The volume operates as an ideal filter between public and production areas and contains small individual offices and conference rooms;
-The “neutral zone” is an open space in which the first two floors are designated as collective workspace. This space is oriented according to the rhythm of the structural system, of the shelving system, and of the electrical outlets: it is the main production space.
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