Research and Development Centre in Maranello
Located within the Ferrari works site, this building was designed to boost the image of the concern. Natural landscape elements were to be drawn into a high-tech environment to enhance the working conditions. The two lower levels are laid out around a central courtyard planted with bamboo. Light wells allow the ingress of natural light into the various halls of the bottom storey. The top floor is detached from the rest of the volume and projects out by 7 m over the entrance front. Cut into this level are three open spaces offset to the lower courtyard. On the roof over the ground floor is a recreational garden with two glazed discussion boxes and a pool of water dissected by various walkways. Light is reflected from the surface of the water up to the aluminium-clad soffit of the second floor. The steel structure of this upper storey is dissolved into bridge-like, accessible Vierendeel girders. The fully glazed facades were clad with uniform double-glazed elements, which lend an otherwise complex development a clear, harmonious appearance.
