The historic headquarters of the Agnelli Foundation in Turin unveils its new digital core. Carlo Ratti Associati has redeveloped the building in Via Giacosa and transformed it into a structure that dialogues with the city behind the office 3.0 project.
The working environments of the future, organised over 3000 m2 of co-working spaces, boast an architecture which, thanks to Internet of Things technology, is able to perceive and adapt to people’s needs in real time. Thanks to the designs of Carlo Ratti Associati the 6500 m2 complex, which became the home of the Agnelli Foundation once again in 2017, establishes new connections, confirming its reputation for inclusiveness.
A cafe in the new protruding glass body is open to the public and to the neighbourhood of San Salvario. Meanwhile, in the historic building, residence of Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli in the early 1900s, the opening of a skylight illuminates the stairs and the kaleidoscopic installation by artist Olafur Eliasson.
Externally, the orchard and green areas, designed by French landscape architect Louis Benech, also make it possible to work outside, at one with nature.
Human interaction is the focal point of the 3.0 vision, overcoming the limits of pre-internet workspaces and the alienating isolation of working from home. According to Carlo Ratti, director of Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founder of the Turin studio, “integrating digital technologies in the physical space improves relationships between people and between people and the building in which they live, also fostering creativity”. Hundreds of sensors installed in the building, in collaboration with Siemens Italia, monitor the temperature of each room, the concentration of carbon dioxide and the availability of meeting rooms, and geolocate people and their movements in the space.
Every individual can create their own work area with personalised heating and lighting or book a free workstation. All they need do is use an app that dialogues with the BMS (Building Management System). No more waste, the system goes into energy saving stand-by mode when the occupant leaves their room. The complex is destined to become a cultural landmark for the city, dedicated to experimentation and technology in the co-working spaces managed by Talent Garden, while the Agnelli Foundation continues to pursue its commitment to teaching and training.
