Natuzzi Americas Headquarter Mario Bellini
Project type
The building, trapezoidal in shape, ends in a huge curve like the prow of a ship, the element most strongly characterising the construction and giving it its elegant yet modern look.
The choice was dictated by careful analysis of the conditions of the lot, which is triangular in shape, setting obvious constraints on the design, also because it is flanked by an existing building on one side and streets on the other two sides.
But Bellini turned these limitations into assets and came up with a structure which fits into the landscape, moulding space and characterising its configuration.
The existing building was entirely redesigned with reference to its specific use: as a showroom and office building, but also public representation of the company.
On the outside the building is covered with large glass façades with strips of burnished bronze marking the floors on one side, while on the other side bronze panels predominate, especially in the area for movement of goods.
A huge porthole measuring three metres in diameter "breaks" up one facade of the building at a point corresponding to the interior gallery. This is the organisational heart of the building: 20 metres high, it lets sunlight in and cuts open the structure to reveal the flow of visitors and the vast range of Natuzzi sofas on display.
Inside, the outstanding features are pillars covered in birch wood, and the glass walkways uniting the building's two parts.
The series of pillars finished in wood is repeated on the large roof terrace. Here the wood is not left in its natural colour, but stained bright red; the same colour appears in the treillage panels between columns.
The clients' most important requirements for the interior were linked to the need to increase the useable surface area, raising one level and expanding the others to increase the amount of space available from 6,700 to 10,000 square metres.
The element that stands out most in the interior is the floor, fruit of careful study in relation to the company's requirements for its showroom. Bellini's choice was a unrolled birch plywood exhibited at the Salone del mobile in Milan in 1997.
The result is flooring made up of 50 cm squares, laid with aluminium profiles to draw an abstract geometry which is the hallmark of all Natuzzi points of sale. The idea was to create flooring independent of a particular colour scheme or style which nonetheless stands out.
The new building as a whole is characterised by the originality of its form and the elegance of its finishes, defining an essential geometry with great communicative power.
Laura Della Badia
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