Office building | Ottavio Di Blasi

The aim here was converting an old industrial warehouse in Mestre into a retail outlet. The architect had to conform to the constraint on knocking down existing buildings. The client was looking to give the premises a “face lift”, so that it would have a much more flexible layout. The project worked around two guidelines. Firstly, creating a separate new steel web in the old reinforced concrete structure, to allow more freedom in setting out the offices. Five different options are actually now available as regards the site plan layout. Secondly, using a “skin” embellishing the building and serving various functions: controlling sunlight, hiding the air-conditioning systems, which would otherwise be visible, and shielding the gallery formed along the entire perimeter between the old structure and the new design. It’s constructed out of a metal frame, supporting steel panels holding extruded brick elements placed differently according to where they are facing, so as to shelter the offices from the sunlight. The use of units all of the same size creates geometric precision (micro-order) in the elevation, deliberately broken down by the varying angles of the individual elements. The shutters inject life into the various bays, to form new textures.