Credits photos and images: Maurizio Varratta Architect

The building in Milan, which used to be a Pirelli plant, and was already restructured in 2001 with the objective of preserving the memory of its industrial past, was the subject of a very ambitious reconversion, also in response to the new

energy and environmental needs.

The design, curated by the architecture studio of Maurizio Varratta and by DEGW, made it possible to build a unique place to work, a vast transparent, luminous space that is open to the outside world; an intervention that respects the industrial memory of the complex with a contemporary leaning thanks to the concepts of sustainability and remote working.

Manni Sipre and Icom, alongside their customer Map Spa of Milan, with its ESF Division acquired the commission by the general contractor Italiana Costruzioni Spa of Rome, supplying 900 tonnes of beams and preprocessed and assembled sheets, partly treated with epoxy paint and partly hot-rolled galvanised; all these materials were delivered to the worksite, ready for laying.

The vast structure occupies a total area of 22,000 sq.m. and is made up of four main buildings, in turn separated by two “bioclimatic” greenhouses, i.e. triple-height glass spaces characterised by the presence of green areas, community areas and horizontal and vertical connection systems that link the various main buildings where the offices are housed. The design foresees 94 meeting rooms with 670 available posts, an auditorium for multimedia events, 3 break areas (in addition to the 4 present in the greenhouses), 64 touchdown posts and informal areas.

The new building does not take up virgin soil, following the principles of “building on buildings”; it also uses part of the old foundations, does not have interred parts and, therefore, did not require new excavations.

The materials used to build it are partly recycled and, in any case, are all recyclable. The new Prysmian headquarters was awarded the prestigious LEED Platinum certification, i.e. the highest level of energy and sustainability certification in accordance with the most accredited international standard.

Manni Sipre/Icom became part of one of the largest urban redevelopment interventions in Italy in the past twenty years, without betraying the area’s industrial past and, at the same time, setting a new and ambitious standard for the future. Not just any building, but a true work of cutting-edge architecture, able to combine light and automation, vitality and transparency, in full compliance not just with the work’s economic and structural feasibility, but also with the vision statement of Manni Group where the services and solutions for steel constructions, the requalification of “building”, the reduction of consumption and emissions, and the diffusion of renewable energy sources represent the main criteria that inspire the Verona-based Group.