Biofarma 1 : The Wooden Building at the Heart of Friuli

Client

Biofarma srl

Kind of project

Industrial

Date

2020

Tags

[The Wooden Building at the Heart of Friuli]

Torre B

Sustainability, energy efficiency and personal well-being. Three multifaceted values are the underlying foundations of Torre B, a project for the headquarters of Biofarma S.r.l. in Mereto di Tomba (UD).

An organic, living architecture, capable of modelling the experience of space through natural light and materials: 14 metres high, with a surface area of 1945 square metres, extending over three floors.

Here, the lightweight of wood and its natural appeal overcome the challenge of ethical building – both for humans and for the environment.

Located in the heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the new wooden building is intended to house the administrative and representative offices of the Biofarma Group, a leading company in the cosmetics and probiotic pharmaceuticals industry. An important project in this region, which is increasingly responding to the needs of a more sustainable world.

Architecture and entrepreneurial spirit move side by side in this project, which is as surprising in its size as in its innovation. The building is, indeed, the result of an important work combining technology, engineering and eco-sustainability. 

The lightness of the PEFC-certified spruce wood, used as construction material for the building, is the result of a precise structural direction taken by the client, with a clear innovative stance. The speed of assembly and the eco-sustainability of both the material itself and the production processes have made Torre B a catalyst for research and experimentation, generating the know-how needed to tackle the project’s architectural and construction challenges, thus reducing the Biofarma Group’s ecological footprint.

Growing through conscious, controlled and sustainable development: a circular focus on environment, energy efficiency and people’s well-being at work.

[Where is Torre B located]

A dialogue with the surrounding context

Torre B is set in a heterogeneous industrial context, with buildings dating from the 1960s to its 2007 Headquarters.

The solid appearance conferred by the building’s shape and materials engages in a constant dialogue with its surroundings, becoming an expression of its representative nature.

From a technological point of view, the project is based on circular sustainability principles. A light building that breathes, plays and courts the environment: thanks to the choice of spruce wood, PEFC certified, the Torre B structure will in fact store over 336 thousand kilos of carbon dioxide, contributing to the reduction of the Biofarma Group’s ecological footprint.

[Offices, rooms and common areas on three levels]

Spatial layout

The tower features a mainly regular volume, clad in panels of titanium-zinc plating and glass. The rectangular shape, with a gently rounded corner, relates perfectly to the existing structure, to which it is connected by a glass tunnel.

The rooms are distributed over three levels. The ground floor is characterised by a rounded full-height glass volume, namely the company’s representative hall. From here, visitors access the first floor, which houses offices and meeting rooms. The second and last floor provides the executive and events area, with a boardroom, a presidential office, a 100-seat conference room with a large entrance hall and double reception desk, and a large, grass-paved panoramic “Sun Lounge” garden terrace.

[Tailor-made Interiors]

A design that resonates with people

A corporate environment that breathes domestic comfort, harmonizing with the people who live in it. The colours and rigour of the building are counterbalanced by a warm-neutral colour palette for the interiors, in a diversification of textures and material surfaces that makes the workplace welcoming, balanced and inspirational. The visual choice both inside and outside the Tower allows an indistinguishable continuity with the existing building, involving the workers even more with a clear expression of the company’s values and philosophy. Attention to detail emerges in each room, integrating technology into every element, from the sound-absorbing oak panelling to the digital connections.
[Renewable energy and technology]

Smart lighting and domotics

The building is equipped with technological systems that use renewable energy and are capable of meeting the prerogatives of an A3-Class building, assisted by rooftop photovoltaic collectors.

The internal and external lighting system is completely based on the KNX protocol, a digital communication method that allows for a perpetually updated and easily manageable system that also predicts maintenance.

All the architectural, electronic and structural elements have been integrated in a smart domotic management, allowing the control and management of both light sources and audiovisual equipment in the rooms. The different lighting and multimedia scenarios developed allow to optimise and speed up the internal operating conditions, according to people’s needs.

All architectural, electronic and structural elements are integrated in a domotic management system that uses renewable energy, while responding to a user-friendly interior design.

[Construction method]

Optimised logistics management

Besides the circular design and the accurate space layout, the construction method was of particular importance. The wooden prefabricated construction system met the need to avoid impacting on the Biofarma Group’s production chain, organised on a three-shift basis. The factory-built structures made it possible to manage the site quickly and easily, thus reducing logistical inconvenience during the construction phase and optimising the construction schedule, reducing exposure to atmospheric agents, cutting down on material waste and the time spent on site by the operating teams.

This is a well-conceived project that highlights both the Biofarma Group’s corporate culture and the empathic ability of ak+‘s developers.

[About...]

Biofarma

Biofarma Group is a leader in the Health&Beauty care sector, specifically in the development, production and packaging of food supplements, medical devices, cosmetics and probiotic-based drugs.

Innovation, professionalism and excellence are the values that, combined with investments in production processes, innovative machinery and human capital, set the Group on the road to the future, developing the Italian and international markets in a sustainable manner, thus becoming a highly attractive and highly competitive reference point in research and production of Health-Care and Beauty Care products.

Biofarma S.r.l. – Via Castelliere, 2 – 33036 Mereto di Tomba (UD) / www.biofarma.it