Milan, Italy

“We live in particularly exciting times for Milan,” says architect Antonio Citterio, co-founder of architecture and design firm ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. “We are witnessing a wave of urban regeneration that is creating positive social, environmental, and economic impact. For us, Building D has been a laboratory where to experiment with a new language for urban architecture, and explore where the workspaces of the future are headed.”

ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, has completed Building D for Covivio, a milestone for the Symbiosis business district in Milan that represents a new kind of workplace prioritizing green spaces for well-being, a flexible layout facilitating interaction through collaborative workspaces, and facilities beyond productivity.

Symbiosis Building D is the latest addition to the urban and environmental regeneration of Milan’s Symbiosis business district, a master plan also being planned by international architecture and design firm ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. 

The 20,000-square-meter building follows the completion of the new Fastweb Headquarters and the opening of the Piazza Adriano Olivetti public square and contains workspaces and headquarters as a multi-tenant office building.

ACPV’s design helps redefine the workplace as a place that can adapt to employees’ personal and professional needs. 

Designed with sustainability in mind, the office building interacts with the existing buildings and green public areas of its surroundings, and it has obtained LEED Platinum and WELL Bronze certifications for its focus on people’s well-being, indoor comfort, and energy-efficient design.

Building D comprises two superimposed volumes: a shorter four-floor-high portion whose top floors cantilever over Via Orobia, and a nine-floor-high portion with generous spatial arrangements for office spaces, and commercial spaces on the ground floor. 

“Working on such a large, complex project, we have built a close relationship with our client, Covivio, in order to respond quickly to changing priorities and be efficient in designing this new business hub,” says Mauro Novazzi, architect and project director at ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, who has overseen the masterplan project for Symbiosis and the other office buildings in the area. “The completion of Building D’s roof structure gives us an opportunity to appreciate the results of our collaboration.”

The building’s use of materials, and the patterns drawn by its alternating glass and solid elements, recall the features of the adjacent Fastweb Headquarters, while the street level’s green areas and water surfaces merge with Piazza Olivetti – the square named after Italian engineer and entrepreneur Adriano Olivetti.

The defining features of these public areas, designed in collaboration with landscape architect Carlo Masera, are a new artificial pond that allows aquatic plants to grow organically and the reintroduction of a biodiverse garden in a formerly industrial area of Milan.

As a highly energy-efficient building designed with social sustainability in mind, Building D interacts with existing buildings and green public areas in its surroundings. 

Offering a one-of-a-kind place for a casual walk or light physical exercise, the green outdoor garden located on the roof of the shorter volume will help to improve employees’ well-being.

The new building’s flexible layout facilitates agile work processes, fostering interaction through collaborative workspaces that also allow people to connect seamlessly with colleagues working from home.

Not only does this optimized use of space bring advantages from a business productivity perspective, but it also allows the building to absorb new functions that diversify the ways in which people can experience the workplace.

Building D integrates a wide range of functions that respond to workers’ evolving needs.

The kitchenette, the gym, and the resting and hotel rooms of Building D ensure that employees can access all essential facilities without needing to leave the premises.

“As business increasingly moves online and a growing number of people choose to work remotely, the culture of work is changing fast and in various ways,” says architect Patricia Viel, co-founder of ACPV Architects. “Building D addresses this shift by transforming the traditional office into an attractive and welcoming meeting place where people want to work precisely because they can find spaces and services they may need throughout the day.”

Designed for European investment and development company Covivio, Building D welcomes large global firms, such as Boehringer Ingelheim, LVMH P&C Italia, Amplifon, and companies of the Mars – Royal Canin Italia and Fratelli Orsero groups.

The completion of Building D is a major milestone in implementing ACPV’s Symbiosis master plan that envisions an accessible new district, following a polycentric and pedestrian-friendly model of sustainable urban development. 

Part of the Sharing Cities project, a European initiative focused on innovative approaches to creating more environmentally sustainable and livable cities, Milan’s Symbiosis area is currently undergoing rapid transformation, offering new educational and service sector facilities in line with contemporary demands.

Beyond the Symbiosis area and its two office buildings, ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel’s engagement in reimagining key areas of Milan’s Porta Romana-Vettabbia district extends also to the new Torre Faro office tower of Italian utility company A2A, and the renovation of the company’s existing buildings. 

Located between the new corporate campus of A2A and the Symbiosis area, the current redevelopment of the Scalo Porta Romana disused rail yard is yet another crucial stepping stone in the city’s future-oriented and green renewal, thanks to ACPV’s support in the pre-bid masterplan strategy studies.

Project: Symbiosis Building D
Architects: ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
ACPV Architects Team: Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel, with Mauro Novazzi, and Alessandra Guadagnino, Domenico Cattolico, Alessandro Marini, Silvia Pirrera, Nicolò Rosmarini, and Daniele Raimondi
Landscape Architects: Carlo Masera
Client: Covivio Development SpA
Photographers: Leo Torri