PROGRESS HEADQUARTER | DEAR studio

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION

A special building project was realized in the commercial zone of Bressanone, located in northern Italy: PROGRESS GROUP, a global pioneer in automated production in the precast concrete industry, built its new headquarter according to the plans of the architectural firm DEAR studio.

A mixed-use building, surrounded by mountains, includes office spaces, a conference and a production hall.

The new production site and office building presents the curiosity of experiments and the search for the best results regarding the use of prefabricated concrete. Already established products of the company came to use and were combined with new solutions, developed specifically for this project.

The complex consists out of 2 buildings:

The 8-story high office building in front, which includes a cafeteria, that serves also as a new common area.
Its main facade is a continuous sequence of windows and polished precast concrete slabs that form a grid system. The use of white cement in combination with local marble elements creates a shining building that reflects the environment, together with the incorporated windows.
The form of the building and the arrangement of the interior spaces are based on previous studies on work-quality, lighting, and on the flow of movement between staff, meetings and connecting areas. To enhance the internal flows, the façade of the offices is slightly bent along the building, in order to provide more spaces in the denser frequented areas.
A pleasant working climate is ensured by the acoustic climate ceilings, the use of wood and plants as well as the large-scale glazing, with integrated shading, in front of each workstation.

The grey part on the back of the building has 3 floors: a production hall on first and second floor, a huge conference room facing the city of Bressanone on the third floor and on top a green roof terrace with 2000m2.

The simple but monumental exterior is the result of a design process from in to out, from the program to the form, which reflects in multiple ways the functionality of its interior spaces.