Gruppo Comini

Project Overview:

Comini's sustainability strategy begins at its headquarters in Civate. The headquarters was designed and built with the aim of safeguarding and protecting the surrounding environment and increasing employees' wellbeing. The building has an A4 energy rating (the highest class provided for by current legislation, obtainable exclusively if the property is built in accordance with green building standards) and features a strategic natural lighting design that ensures the glazing is never hit directly by the sun while at the same time guaranteeing maximum natural light. This saves energy and reduces glare inside the workplace.

The building is entirely made of 100% Italian wood, while the floors and ventilated façade are made of porcelain stoneware, also produced in Italy. All the lights in the building are LED, and photovoltaic panels are installed on the roof to produce green energy. The break areas are green too, fitted with comfortable seating and surrounded by greenery. The building's roof is covered with a planted garden that helps keep the temperature below 35 degrees and helps manage heavy rainfall events, collecting and releasing water over time and easing the load on rainwater collection systems. Throughout the building there are controlled mechanical ventilation systems, which allow a constant air exchange with low energy consumption thanks to heat recovery. The aluminium systems used contribute to the sustainability of the headquarters thanks to the material's endless recyclability as well as its ability to limit heat loss, ensuring comfort inside. Important factors such as thermal insulation and weather tightness reduce waste and allow maximum energy efficiency to be achieved.

The closure systems for all façades were developed using a smaller amount of gaskets and foams in order to produce high-quality windows more easily and quickly, while safeguarding the environment. Inside the building there is a winter garden which, thanks to the design of a circular curtain wall, increases the brightness of the office and serves as a relaxation area. Starting from the ground floor, the façade develops vertically through all the floors of the headquarters to finish on the outside. The mullions of the circular façade are enhanced on the outside by semi-elliptical cover caps which, in addition to defining an architectural style of considerable aesthetic value, help give the structure vertical momentum.