Milan, Italy

Imagined as a vertical village in Milan, the new headquarters for A2A by ACPV Architects will redefine the office place with spaces that can accommodate and adapt to people’s ever-changing work needs. 

The headquarters of Italian multi-utility company A2A is a major new urban development that comprises a new 144-meter-high tower with a contemporary design inspired by the industrial past of its location. 

ACPV’s design for A2A’s new Milan headquarters reimagines the company’s office spaces as capable of adapting to people’s ever-changing needs at work, while also reviving the local urban fabric with 6,320 sqm of new green public spaces.

For its innovation and urban-renewal ambitions, A2A Headquarters has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The 144-meter-high office tower – named Torre Faro (lighthouse tower in Italian) – will connect Milan’s historic center and periphery by reactivating a north-south axis that runs from the city center through Via Crema and Piazza Trento all the way to ACPV’s Symbiosis business district, located just across the disused railway yard. 

“The A2A Headquarters project creates a new vertical village for the firm’s operations. It is designed for people to enjoy working in the company of their colleagues and to encourage spontaneous professional and personal interactions,” says Antonio Citterio, architect, and co-founder of ACPV.

ACPV won the architectural competition for the design of the new office building and the adaptive reuse of the existing structures in 2018. 

The new tower can accommodate 1,500 people in spaces that are flexible and open and is complemented by a green courtyard shared with the Museum of Energy – located inside the existing buildings that will be revitalized with the project.

Vertically, the tower is divided in the middle into two sets of office floors framed by the spacious entrance hall on the ground floor, the Sky Garden in the middle, and the Belvedere on top. 

Just like the Sky Garden at mid-height (61 meters), the Belvedere provides panoramic views of Milan at 125 meters aboveground. 

The tower’s large atrium and suspended mezzanine create a generous and welcoming environment, enhanced by the multifunctional office spaces located on the floors above. 

The architecture of the building addresses future professional needs by integrating flexible spaces – including co-working lounges and informal meeting rooms – that can be reconfigured for multiple uses.

The tower’s footprint is minimized by ensuring the site is open to public use and by creating a new pedestrian-friendly urban district where local businesses can thrive. 

Beyond the A2A Headquarters, the urban regeneration project extends from the neighboring Piazza Trento to the closest metro station Via Crema. Enlarged pedestrian areas, two new squares, additional green areas, and bicycle paths will turn the area into a diverse, multigenerational, and attractive neighborhood. 

Expected to be completed by 2024, A2A’s new headquarters is located in an area of Milan that is currently undergoing a profound transformation. 

The new tower will redefine the role of the district in harmony with the nearby Symbiosis business district, facilitating the transfer of major service sector operations to this part of the city. 

“The new tower and the renovation of the firm’s existing buildings transform the architectural volumes to allow for a seamless passageway from Milan’s city center to the Porta Romana disused railway yard and the Symbiosis business district that is currently taking shape,” says Claudio Raviolo, head of the project and partner at ACPV.

Project: A2A Headquarters
Architects: ACPV Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
Partners in Charge: Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel, Claudio Raviolo
Designer Team: Francesca Carlino, Clara Alfieri, Lucrezia Castagnoli, Guillaume Chatelain, Pasquale Dacchille, Carmine D’Amore, Angela Duzel, Gioele Foschi, Massimo Frigerio, Paolo Gordon, Claudio Gravina, Giorgio Marongiu, Paolo Migliori, Cristiano Piagnerelli, Daniele Raimondi, Luciana Ricca, Giovanni Saputo, Urszula Sekuna, and Elena Vezzali
Client: Ufficio Stampa A2A
Photographers: ACPV Architects