Boschi + Serboli: Industrial warehouse, Bentivoglio

An industrial production building is an impressive sight for users of the nearby motorway. Photos by Mauro Zanardelli

The design was for a new production facility within a private enterprise scheme in the small town of Bentivoglio, near Bologna. The total area is 5,415 square meters, and this is used both for production and administration. Access to the site is through three openings set in the east side; inside it, all forms of transport circulate in a clockwise direction. The car park is on the west side, in the space between the Bologna-Padua motorway and the building; the loading and unloading points are distributed along all sides of the building. The access areas for the production site and the offices have also been positioned along the west side, next to the car park.

The design brings the single, compact block to life, emphasising its two-way relationship with the motorway. The block intended for use as offices has been integrated into the side of the production building; the west front shows how these two functions have been combined, a feature that dominates the design here. This side of the building has been divided into two sections – the lower houses the entrances to the offices, the production areas and various loading and unloading points.

The upper section is defined by the projecting office block: its raised position means that it can been seen more clearly from the motorway, and this is emphasised as well by the alternative design used for the face. Its transparency is a response to a logic of communication, making the interior of the building and the people occupying it visible outside. The building's "dematerialised" walls enrich the urban environment with a new image of work as a central part of human activity.

Valeria Boschi (born Trento, 1967) and Luigi Serboli (born Brescia, 1968) are graduates of Milan Polytechnic. They founded their Boschi + Serboli studio in Brescia in 1999.

Industrial warehouse, Bentivoglio, San Marina, Bologna
Architectural design and artistic direction: Boschi + Serboli Architetti Associati, Valeria Boschi, Luigi Serboli
Client: Logica s.r.l.
Management of operations: Adriano Zampedri
Structural engineering: Studio 4, Ennio Macerata
Systems engineering: Fluidenergy, Umberto Bianchini
Electrical systems engineering: Givitec, Fausto Romano
Building contractor: AEA Costruzioni
Construction: 2007

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