A home for COIMA in Porta Nuova

The new COIMA headquarters have been created to serve the needs of people and sustainability.

11/1/2019

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Overlooking piazza Gae Aulenti on one side and the Porta Nuova Garden – Biblioteca degli Alberi on the other side, the new COIMA headquarters tells the story of its human-centred soul through its architectural lines, but especially in its functional characteristics. With over 2,000 square metres of glass and iron shrouded in two bark-effect laminated wood wings stretching towards Porta Nuova, for the first time in 40 years the COIMA platform companies will all be united under one roof.

The word "headquarters" for this building is an understatement, which does not manage to encompass the philosophy that went into its design and construction, placing the people who will work in it at the heart of the concept and with a special focus on the environment. A home where ideas will be conceived rather than a simple head office.

"It is a history about people, a project designed by and for people, therein lies it strength. The fact that it has been built in Porta Nuova is not an accident: after being 'home' to 15,000 UniCredit, Google and Nike employees, the time has come for us to move in too. It has been a great opportunity to be able to "test drive" a building in the dual role of developer and tenant and to also be able to explore new smart working practices for our 150 plus collaborators." Manfredi Catella, Founder & CEO of COIMA

To create this space, our collaborators have, in a certain sense, become co-protagonists in the design journey, voicing their needs and requirements in the workplace. The process was led by COIMA Image, specialised in architectural design, interior design and space planning, listening to, observing and interviewing the people who work at COIMA, finding out about their habits, requirements and desires, to create – together – a workspace that is not simply efficient but also somewhere great to live in.

“This means well-being and comfort within the working environment. Starting with the acoustics, an important element, because silence is relaxing and aids concentration. Moving on to the quality of the light, both natural and artificial. Followed by the quality of the environment, which needs to be healthy, have good climate control and ventilation, with pleasant furnishings.” Alida Catella, CEO COIMA Image

The view from the windows takes in relaxing shades of green, an open space where you can go for a stroll or enjoy a good cup of coffee: nothing has been overlooked, because the quality of work also depends on the well-being of people – this was the assumption behind the “Naturally Connected” route, listening to collaborators and their requirements, that led to creating the spaces that you see today and which are, above all else, for human beings. Spaces in which we find a personal dimension that is intertwined with a professional one, like the COIMA Caffé on the terrace of the building, but also simply the large windows which let in the sunlight, open, shared spaces without partitions.

A new perspective, a cultural approach, which focuses on the social responsibility of the architect. This is how Mario Cucinella experiences the design. His firm worked on the development of the building, implementing a more "generous" and "empathetic" architectural vision in every logistical and operational decision, in which the spaces live connected to the people who occupy them and to the surrounding landscape.
Humanity and sustainability.

Attention to the environment is reflected in the important architectural, energy and material-related choices, which have led to the new COIMA headquarters being one of the few projects in the world to be awarded LEED Platinum Certification, but also in the small everyday life details in this innovative space: all offices are paperless (no more waste paper bins, but separate waste collection), materials certified through the ‘Cradle-to-Cradle’ approach, a reduction in the consumption of plastics thanks to the personalised mugs given to all employers and collaborators. The approach to people and relations is also innovative. Shared spaces, intended not only for working in but also for socialising and training purposes, no partitions and very few fixed workstations encouraging mobility and smart working, creating an environment in which social interaction is encouraged and people of all levels can share ideas and work together, because “without fixed positions there is more synergy and it is possible to work with colleagues in a more natural way”, confirms Alida Catella.

“We say that the architect's mission is to transform an economic action into a cultural action. The way I see things, an architectural firm is, to all intents and purposes, a cultural venture. Obviously, the designer should stick to responding to the demands of the client, but they can also help in developing these demands, possibly focusing on issues such as energy and the environment and shared public interest, which have been ignored for too long.” Mario Cucinella, architect and founder of MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects

“Every new building can become a concrete opportunity for demonstrating how to build in a new way” claims the architect Cucinella and the new COIMA "home" cannot be anything other than the story of this innovative take on the city and way of living, with a design that strives to create beauty and well-being for the people whom these buildings will house. Day after day.