Situated within the heart of the dynamic business district of Metanopoli, in San Donato Milanese, this project sensitively responds to its context. The architectural forms emerge from a dialogue with the surrounding city, and their open geometry creates a new urban connection between the north and south of the site while also creating a series of generous outdoor spaces for the ENI staff.
The architectural parti for the ENI Headquarters is six blocks and two atriums connected by a central spine. Each block is a building wing enclosed in a pristine glass envelope containing office spaces. The blocks vary from transparent to translucent to solid white, creating an artful composition that highlights the central wing. The composition is anchored by a pristine box of white concrete along the main entry thoroughfare (Viale de Gasperi), which is translucent at its base but slowly transforms to a solid white concrete top that hovers over a green vegetative wall. The white concrete, an innovation from the Italian cement company, Italcementi, breaks down pollution as a photocatalytic reaction with the sun’s UV rays. This sustainable product will reduce CO2 levels within the complex by providing a protective screen from Viale de Gasperi traffic.
A series of six-story-high open atria are architecturally integral to the three buildings within this headquarters complex, linking them with a continuous path and creating a healthy, sustainable, and interactive environment that is ideal for gathering and exchange.
