Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has been selected as the winner of S.Pellegrino Flagship Factory competition -BIG will design a 17,500 square-metre building on the San Pellegrino Terme, Bergamo, embracing the surrounding forces of nature and taps into S.Pellegrino’s industrial heritage and guiding visitors through the 30-year journey of the natural mineral water.

BIG saw off global international offices in the competition including MVRDV, Snøhetta and Michele De Lucchi (AMDL). Last year, four international architecture offices unveiled their proposals to design S.Pellegrino’s new home on the site of its original plant in northern Italy, where the natural mineral water has been bottled since 1899. 

The S.Pellegrino brand identity is deeply rooted in its origin in the San Pellegrino Terme: from the majestic nature, purity of the source and historical heritage, to the century-long development of craft and Italian way of life. 

''As such, the new S. Pellegrino Flagship Factory should not be a radical superimposition of new messages of foreign elements, but rather an enhancement and elevation of the qualities that are already abundant in and around the river valley,'' says BIG.

BIG proposes and architecture that offers a fresh take on an ancient wisdom, revisiting the classic elements of Italian architecture and urbanism: the arcade, the viale, the piazza and the portico create an architectural environment where production and consumption, nature and architecture, outside and inside, and making and enjoying are integrated to elevate the experience for visitors as well as S. Pellegrino staff.

Framed by the river valley and mountains on either sides, employees and visitors will feel immersed in nature from all directions, with abundant views to the flowing river, the forested slopes, the snowy summits and the clear skies. 

At the heart of the arrival, a new landmark rises in the form of an artistic interpretation of the 30-year journey that the water travels from the mountain's snowy summit to the spring at its foot. 

A core sample of the mountain includes the different strata of rock and water at all its stages, turning natural processes into an artistic spectacle that reminds everyone of the wonders of water.

Mobilizing the timeless elements such as the arc-the most materiality efficient and structurally elegant way to span across large spaces for production, exhibitions and events-and the arcade-the idea that you can create character and articulation through repetition and variation-the architecture of the Factory and Experience Lab has a timeless aura around it.

BIG combines the modular architecture of the Factory with the repetitive elements of Italian Classicism and Rationalism, the space is sculpted by expanding and contracting the span of the arches. 

Like the aquatic equivalent of a wine cellar, the architecture of the Factory and Experience Lab feels both familiar and fresh; it is firmly rooted in heritage yet evolves into the future.

Bjarke Ingels is one of World Architecture Community members. Recently, the rising star featured in Netflix's original documentaries on architecture and design-premiered on February 10, 2017-called Abstract: The Art of Design. BIG also unveiled new proposal for its first Greenlandic stadium, which is covered by snowy-appearance. 

Bjarke Ingels is among our potential runners for the 2017 Pritzker Prize. You can see other candidates on the list and vote for your favourite architect in our poll. 

Project facts

Partners in charge: Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen

Project leader: Jelena Vucic

Team: Lorenz Krisai, Edda Steingrimsdottir, Stephen Steckel, Julie Kaufman, Wells Barber, Derek Wong, Yang Yang Chen, Terrence Chew, Christopher Tron, Lawrence Olivier Mahadoo, Veronica Acosta, Ashton, Stare, Gaurav Janey, Maria Eugenia Dominguez Bello, Supakrit Wongviboonsin, Adi Krainer, Josiah
Poland, Jennifer Wood, Kelly Neill, Maki Matsubayashi, Francesca Portesine, Veronica Moretti, Gabriella, Den Elzen, Denys Kozak, Kristian Hindsberg

Collaborators: Atelier Verticale, West8, Schlaich Bergermann Partner, Front, Arup, Squint/Opera, MIC, BIG Ideas, WET, Studio Piero Castiglioni

Client: San Pellegrino

All images © BIG

> via BIG