A2 Studio Gasparri e Ricci Bitti Architetti / Milan, Italy
Effedue: a cube of light reflects visions of the sky to everything around it. Dynamic energy of vitality is injected into the building and streams through the interiors. At night, however, the transparency and the dematerialization is accentuated, thanks to the skilful installation of the light fittings on the facade. The illumination creates an even more ‘glacial’ cube. The cold, evanescent and ethereal elements (glass, white, soft lighting) contrast with the warm textural additions (the red door, stone, exterior greenwood, internal wood, dark grès tiles, some pieces of furniture and colored walls, glaring light and the staggered arrangement of the windows). The decision to mix these elements injects personality and dynamic energy into the building. Every architectonic and design feature is oriented to reducing energy demands and improving interior comfort. The facades of the East and North elevations are steel and glass to maximize the sunlight in the early mornings and avoid disturbing the staff inside with intense glare. The facades of the South and South-West elevations are more elaborate. Their purpose is not only esthetic – this shell has been created in Gasbeton brick walls and is almost totally void of openings to the outside; a second layer has been created using silk-screened extra-clear glass panels to protect the South and South-West facades that are more exposed to the sun and the wind. There is a space between the two layers (approximately 80 cm.) and the natural circulation of air makes an important contribution to cooling the surface in the summer months and containing heat when the weather is colder. Construction of the Effedue building. The basement floor of the building, created with poured reinforced concrete, houses the technical utility rooms and a parking lot. There are six floors above; these have a steel structure with corrugated metal floors covered in a layer of poured reinforced concrete. This method was chosen partly because the client stipulated a rapid completion time and partly because it would make an important contribution to the lightness of the structure. The building was designed using bioclimatic criteria that exploits construction techniques developed to reduce the energy requirements and optimize comfort levels in the offices. Devices are integrated in the building to exploit local renewable energy sources. The special features can be summarized as: exploitation of sunlight for passive heating and for the production of electricity, the use of air currents to ventilate the rooms and to hyperventilate the interiors in the warmer seasons; flowers and shrubs included to mitigate the smog and pollution. The façades of the building’s South-West and North-East elevations consist of a outer layer of silk-screened glass panes and an inner Gasbeton brick wall; the two layers are completely independent and are separated by an chamber of 80 cm that continues for the entire façade. The silk-screened glass panes are 2.50 cm thick and have been installed on 4 separate floors. They overlap for approximately 8 cm on each side. In order to mitigate the degree of pollution inside the parking lot and the gardens, the architects landscaped vegetated areas, that despite the size, are able to produce good air quality standard.
