Focchi Curtain Walling

Ferrari Product Development Center

Maranello

The building will host the offices of the Ferrari Product Development Centre. The project is born out of the desire to bring in the natural environment into this highly technological complex in order to create a comfortable working ambiance. Light, water and bamboo are used in such a way that building becomes landscape. This projecyt represents the development of a new petic of lightness. The overall image is dominated by an overhanging volume, detached from the rest of the building and suspended above the surface of the water which covers the lower volume, extending outwards over the entrance area by 7 metres. Brightly light crystal boxes and the minimum necessary structure ate the only phisical connections between tow meeting rooms, marked by their respective colours, i.e. red and yellow. Water and lihgt are the kinetic elemts of the building, designating space with reflections that give the impression of a precious metal container to upper volume. Tn the middle of the building, a precisely ordered rectangular bamboo forest filters light and reflects it in a thousand different directions. The alchemy of these elements creates a micro-climate which is a perfect example of bio-climatic architecture.

Credits

Architect: Massimiliano Fuksas

Client: Ferrari SpA

Contractor: COGEI Costruzioni SpA - Bologna

Photographer: D. Di Bello/ P. Ruault/ E. Cano

The tecnology

Unitised curtain walling (Acoustic insulation 42 dB / Thermal insulation 1.8 W/mq.°C)

A technological race... in record time The principal characteristics, requested by this prestigious client, for over 5000 m2 of external cladding of this “all glazed” building, was an high level of transparency with minimal thermal transmission, allowing excellent luminosity and visual and thermal comfort in all atmospheric conditions. Focchi realised a specific product for this building: 1400mm x 4400mm units with a thermal break, (Guardian Neutral Plus 54 glazing) incorporating blinds, acoustic insulation with a minimal noise level of 45dB, average U-value of profiles and glazing < 1.8 W/m2 K. Another key point for this work has been speed: a race of high technology centent where every department within Focchi has set new records:

  • 4 weeks for the design phase: realisation of the new c.w. system, tests (acoustic test with different glazing configuration, full size visual mock-up, glazing thermal stress evaluation, structural silicone testing, wind load and weather tight tests) issue of die drawings for the extrusion of new profiles.
  • 2 months for the manufacture of all the 850 units.
  • Less than one month for the surveys, the setting out and the installation of the support brackets.
  • Less than two months for the installation of the system.

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