A tangle of roads crowded with cars and people brushing past each other on differing levels in a sprawling and chaotic city. This scene is ever-more reminiscent of modern offices; a mass of functions, relationships, data and information all existing within the fluid system of smart working, and Citterio has found a way to organise space and exploit complexity. The solution is called Bridge; a system of modular elements, self-supporting benches and tables that are either free-standing or rested, that can serve operative functions, or be used for meetings, receptions and communications, all in a single space. It is an effective response to the challenges set by the new smart paradigm that the company, a leader in highly innovative designer office furniture, has chosen to install on its own premises, renovating the headquarters in Sirone, in the province of Lecco.

Inspired by the most innovative aspects of the smart office, the refurbishment involved the reception and meeting areas, as well as the commercial and executive offices, inside a prefabricated building dating back to the 1960s and characterised by circular windows and a backlit canopy that runs the length of the ground floor.

“In redefining the interiors, the company examined a number of technical and functional aspects" says architect Paolo Pampanoni, who curated the renovation and, alongside Pinuccio Borgonovo, designed the Bridge system itself. "The creation of an external stairway, guaranteeing a better distribution of internal movement; the updating of the air-conditioning and lighting systems, improving comfort throughout the building; the definition of a new layout, which better responds to operative and hospitality requirements, and furnishings characterised by differing atmospheres and materials, and by the most innovative of Citterio’s products”. All of this with a particular focus on the reduction and absorption of noise, mapped in every space before intervening, to then adopt solutions during the design phase aimed at improving quality. 

With digital technology transforming working methods and relationships, allowing people to carry out their professional activities wherever, however and whenever they want, without being bound to locations or schedules, Bridge responds to these changes by offering a system of simple elements that can be combined in various ways and that satisfy differing functions defined by three heights: 65 cm, self-supporting benches for work surfaces, suspended draw units and screens; 75 cm, desk work surfaces and meeting tables; 105 cm, benches for meeting areas or reception desks. Cable-ready, thanks to electrified conduits or dedicated spaces for running cables built into the structural beam beneath the worktop, the benches can be fitted as desired with suspended drawer units and other utilities, sound-absorbing screens and glass partitions. Connection systems and angular joints allow different compositions to be created in accordance with client requirements. 

The tables, free standing or integrated with benches - either rectangular, square or round, in varying sizes and with extensions if required - can be used for meetings or operational functions. The position and the orientation of the worktop can vary according to need, thanks to a steel clamp with wing screw that can be fastened or released.

Single or double desks, which can be electrically adjusted from 75 to 115 cm in height, adapt to seated or standing activities. The legs, in extruded aluminium, composed of two interlinking sections, contain the lifting mechanism, which can be adjusted via a button on the edge of the worktop. With the bench version, two workstations with independent heights are connected to a beam on which a central sound-absorbing or glass partition can be installed. A hollow metal frame that contains electronic equipment serves as a support structure for the worktops. Alternatively, the desk can be fitted to the bench with a hidden bracket, with wood panelled legs and with an exposed lifting mechanism fitted to the inside of the panel. Again, in this case a display on the edge of the worktop, complete with control and memory buttons, allows the height to be adjusted.

Health protection is guaranteed at workstations by division screens in either tempered glass coated with mirrored film or in wood with opaque lacquered finish or with oak veneer, as well as by simple or configurable sound-absorbing panels in a range of formats, which can be used either to partition or to contain desks, if combined with benches, thanks to the wooden shelf installed on one or both sides. The wooden structure is covered with a sound-absorbing cushion and polyester padding and upholstered in mono- or bi-colour fabrics that can either be sanitised or are antibacterial. The same goes for the vertical panels in the sound-absorbing bookcases, which are either free-standing or aggregated with benches and available in four sizes, all with wooden shelves that have been processed and finished by the company’s highly skilled craftspeople.

The collection is completed with wall-handing cupboards and free-standing storage units with doors, which are fitted with metal shelving. In addition, there are three different bench-based storage solutions: suspended drawer units with one or two drawers and with draws on both sides; utility units with one or two closed modules, or with three modules, offering a central open space. Devoid of handles, the storage units can be opened via an integrated grip on the upper or lower edge of the door and are connected to the bench on the structural beam with a recessed connector that allows the position to be adjusted as desired. Lastly, the collection includes metal drawer cabinets on wheels, available with either three drawers or a drawer with dividers. A range of variable elements combined in the new Citterio offices in “a setup that serves as a design trial, an operational showroom and a tool for communication”, concludes Pampanoni. “Spaces used for work and to demonstrate new working scenarios”. A place where attention to well-being goes hand in hand with the aesthetic and functional aspects that the company has always combined with research, technological quality and made-to-measure design, transforming prestigious and eco-sustainable materials into innovative products for comfortable, ergonomic and extremely stylish environments.

Opening image: an office fitted with the Bridge modules designed by Paolo Pampanoni and Pinuccio Borgonovo for Citterio Spa (© Andrea Sestito / Studiolux)