Italian architecture practice GEZA Architettura has designed the new headquarters of the Furla FC Immobiliare spa company in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, in the province of Florence, immersed in the Chianti area, Italy. 

Named Furla Headquarters "Progetto Italia", the 18,300-square-metre building features an elongated roof that runs throughout the building and incorporates cascaded green terraces where employees can walk, relax and look at the hills of the area. Terraces and green roofs cover a total of 1,200 square meters.

With the new headquarters, the firm combines an industrial architecture and workspace with nature, where working environment, sustainability and landscape are harmoniously conceived.

The project is located in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, in the province of Florence, immersed in the Chianti area of Italy. 

The project is derived from a paramount theme: the integration of the industrial architecture into the Italian landscape, providing an opportunity to rethink the quality of the workspace. 

The architects merge architecture and nature perfectly and these two components are blended along all directions to create a unique element where the design and the Chianti landscape - defined by hills, heritage, and agricultural areas - communicate harmoniously.

The Furla factory covers an area of 42,000 square meters of soil and has three main volumes. One volume is used for offices, while two volumes are designed for labs and logistics. 

The trio of volumes is designed to be harmoniously integrated into the surrounding landscape, without too much contrast. Architecture and nature coexist in a functional balance.

The architects is inspired by the morphology of the site and the morphology is truly taken into consideration and is enhanced through three fundamental elements: the driveway, the terraces, and Piazza Furla – which define clear areas around the building volumes. 

Thanks to a system of patios and green roofs overlooking the wooded area, nature crosses the boundaries between inside and outside. 

The main entrance recalls the archetype of Tuscan villa access: a linear row of cypresses welcoming visitors and showing the way through. This rhythm is replicated on the facade of the buildings with sunscreen filtering blades.

The entrance to the offices, with the double-height reception and the large open-air hall, becomes the point where the boundaries between architecture and landscape merge. 

The interiors have been designed in such a way as to have real layout flexibility. The orderly sequence of offices is punctuated by green patios, or relationship spaces.

Nature is a prominent element, not just because of its beauty (Chianti hills), but also because it creates a pleasant environment once blended into the building: patios, green coverings, and natural light contribute to a more sustainable working habitat, where people can also relax and enjoy contact with nature.

Finally, sustainability plays a key role in this project, which has been designed to comply with green energy best practices.

General plan

First underground floor plan

Ground floor plan

First, Second, Third and Roof plans

Section

Elevations

Project facts

Client: Furla FC Immobiliare spa 

Location: Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Firenze

Design phase: 2017-2018 

Construction: 2018-2021

Dimensional Data

Area of intervention: 42.000 mq

Building Area: 11.000 mq

Total Built Area: 18.300 mq

Production: 15.500

Offices: 2.800 mq

Terraces and green roofs: 1.200 mq

Freight area and outdoor parking: 7.700 mq

Green Area: 23.000 mq

Architecture Design and Creative Direction

GEZA Architettura (Udine)

Arch. Stefano Gri e Arch. Piero Zucchi

Arch. Alessia Dorigo (project leader)

Arch. Marjana Dedaj (project leader)

Arch. Stefania Anzil

Arch. Elisa Mansutti

Arch. Beatrice Pellos

Arch. Francesco Tessaro

Arch. Giulia Marcon

Arch. Roberto Pasquali

Arch. Clemens Kusch - CFK Architetti (coordination)

Structural Design and Supervision of Works

Biagini Studio di Ingegneria (Arezzo)

Ing. Piero Bracciali

Ing. Alessandro Fei

Arch. Francesco Misuri

Ing. Matteo Ciofini

Ing. Adrian Burca

Ing. Alessandro Blanc

Geom. Paolo Renzoni

Arch. Pietro Pagliardini (test)

Landscape Design

LAND Italia (Milano)

Andreas Kipar (project leader)

Valerio Bozzoli (senior agronomist)

Arch. Luisa Bellini (senior architect)

Arch. Andrea Occhetti (senior architect)

Arch. Cecilia Ricci

Arch. Francesca Villa

Arch. Laura Mantegazza

Landscape Arch. Gianna Galgani

Structural Plan

Consilium Servizi d’Ingegneria (Firenze)

Ing. Paolo Pietro Bresci (mechanical structure project management)

p.i. Marco Cellini (electrical and special structure project management)

All images © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG fotografia de arquitectura

All drawings © GEZA Architettura

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