The Caproni aeronautical factory was restored, renovated and refreshed, and this transformation by Piuarch gives the name and home to the new creative and commercial centre for one of the most emblematic Italian fashion brands in the runway. With a glimpse of Piuarch particular sense of contemporary architecture and home decor, Gucci’s hub demonstrates the ability of the Italian interior designer to communicate brand’s identity through its conception of interior design.
Rolling out over 35,000 sq m, the complex encompasses offices, showrooms, a venue for shows, and photography and graphic studios, offering a space distinct from the Gucci HQ in Florence and the design office in Rome. The architects struck a balance between preserving the original structures, built for aircraft manufacturing, and designing a contemporary space for a modern workforce. A line of sheds, full of natural light and with exposed brick facades, were repurposed and the vast 3,850 sq m hangar was renovated to host shows.
Piuarch’s ‘industrial archaeology’ involved demolishing building additions from the 1960s and 70s, which made way for lime-tree-lined patios connecting the site to the public promenade, and a central plaza with vertical gardens enhancing the working environment for the 250 Gucci employees based at the hub. A new six-storey office block is at the heart of the design, its glass facade and dark metal brise-soleil harmonising with the original metal structural parts and crowning, cast in the same material across the red brick walls.
This is one of the most particular architectonic aspects of Gucci‘s hub: it was made a covered plaza that has full-height rotating panels in order to surprise everyone who passes by and wants to join the happening fashion events.
