Casillo Headquarters

The architectural concept focuses on simplicity, functionality and liveability both of the interiors and the outdoor area. The monolithic building develops around the necessities of the control room, pulsing heart of the company's activities. The facades seem to dissolve at the two opposite ends of the building where two box-like glass structures will be inserted. Besides those, the facades are to be animated also by the terraces on the last floor and the orange shutters of the windows, arranged in an inhomogeneous way. An internal courtyard will provide natural light and air to the offices at the center of the building. The new headquarters for Casillo are located in the outskirts of the city of Bari, Italy, in its industrial zone. The surface area of the intervention is of approximately 6,000 square meters, part of which will be dedicated to green areas, parking lots intended for the offices and for roadways specifically used by trucks. The building proper is more than 4.500 square meters, on three levels plus the underground parking. It houses a conference hall, offices, workshop area and open space, management offices and a control room for checking goods. Around the building are 1.500 square meters of landscape with trees and grass. The new office block was designed as a rectangular box-shaped body of about 55 x 27 meters, with two floors above ground that rest on a plinth of approximate height of 1.50 meters. The base is a monolithic construct, inside of which we carved: stairs and ramps as part of the main access, a ramp for disabled persons, stairs used mainly by truck drivers that have access to the control room, and large openings in order to allow light and air into the basement areas.

The center of the block has a courtyard with approximate dimensions of 13 x 7 meters necessary to air and ventilate the rooms that overlook it. The courtyard is one of the main defining elements of the architecture; through which not only did we guarantee proper lighting to the offices and corridors, but we were also conscious of the wellbeing and visual comfort of the people who work there every day. Two staircases serve the volume that houses the offices; these are accompanied by elevators that have skylights allowing further penetration of light.

The goal was to create a building that adopted sustainability and Energy efficiency standards. The result is a building that is particularly shielded to the outside, to ensure protection against the wheat sand and the hot weather. On the contrary the center of the volume is an open courtyard with all glass facades and trees, that allows ventilation and natural light to penetrate the three office floors. These solutions along with the solar shades, the photovoltaic panels, the geothermic and thermal inertia of the exterior walls, contribute to have an efficient and sustainable building.