VisitaMilano

The IBM Italian office complex

The new IBM Italian office complex holds approximately 2,200 employees, and it was designed by Studio Isolaarchitetti and built between 2002 and 2004. It covers an overall surface area of approximately 38,000 m2 and features the characteristics of a citadel, a small well-organised world on the inside and protected on the outside. This idea is also derived from the distinction between the exterior façades, made in blocks of artificial stone, and the interior ones, in glass: an alternation and a contrast suggested also by the use of different materials. The façade recalls the colours of the typical bricks of rural Lombard architecture, emphasising the link with the landscape; inside, the single glass façade is interrupted by metallic cornices; here, the sides overlooking the court convey a new image, which mediates between nature and technology, giving space to the images of the park that are reflected in the glass and "physically" enter the workplaces. The building of the historic IBM headquarters was on the other hand built in 1977 by the great architect Marco Zanuso. The architecture of the building is distinguished by clear volumes, almost devoid of any ornaments, where the materials used, namely steel and glass, make the perspectives light and transparent.

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architect:  Marco Zanuso