A new concept of factory, no longer a body detached from the offices and headquarter and an alienating place in which part of the workforce is confined, the Business Unit of Bonfiglioli Riduttori S.p.A. becomes an integral element of the company’s identity and functionality, in visual and physical continuity with it, where in fact only a glass wall separates the production area from the offices.
Completed in 2020, the structure represents the Open Project architectural studio’s search for dialogue and innovation, which aims to create a space free of barriers, allowing individual employees to perceive the centrality of their work in improving production cycles.
The interior design confirms the intention to create environments that focus on collaboration, integration and sharing, with spaces conceived as a single unit even when they are separated.
The factory departments are integrated in a functional way thanks to the presence of a walkway connecting the offices and the research and development area, while visually the elements obstructing the view have been eliminated and glass walls and furnishings composed mainly of low lockers for shared use have been inserted.
A homogeneous space that makes the workflow fluid and gives full flexibility to the environments, a choice that proved particularly far-sighted in the period immediately following completion of the work, with the distancing and sanitation requirements imposed by the pandemic.
Spacious rooms, versatile furnishings, healthiness and yet no sacrifice in terms of privacy and aesthetic refinement – both guaranteed by the reserved spaces of the phone booths and adjustable curtains – and relaxation – thanks to the lounge areas with dominant colours of purple and orange to highlight their function, conversation areas with phytoform seating and lime green carpets that recall the outdoor spaces.
The factory’s visual link with the surrounding natural spaces and with the company’s other areas not only symbolically but also effectively creates a new type of production centre, integrated into the surrounding environment and no longer isolated, which is at the same time an operational space, headquarter and product showcase.
The factory thus becomes a place of innovation, a research and development hub, where technology is at the service of the individual, who performs a highly qualified and recognised job.
A realisation in which the functionality of the factory never comes before the pleasure of experiencing the work space and the beauty of being surrounded by it. A nZEB (nearly Zero Energy Building) building with high energy performance, designed for people, designed for innovation.