Polis Post Offices

Following their successful bid in the public competition, AMDL CIRCLE has been commissioned to renovate Post Offices in municipalities with below 15,000 inhabitants within the sphere of the Progetto Polis, who with Poste Italiane are participating in the Complementary Plan to the PNRR, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, promoted by the Italian Government.
The intervention involves the upgrading of pre-existing post offices to host the “Sportello Unico”, the one-stop shop that delivers the Public Administration’s services to the public, encouraging the use of digital methods.
The intervention on the pre-existing spaces is intended to bring out characteristics of transparency and permeability, which are essential today for a location in direct contact with the public, through a process of conservation and renovation of the Poste’s properties.
The project envisages a depth of intervention differentiated according to the different types of post office, defining the guidelines that are applicable in the various existing case histories: from the ground floors of buildings with a number of storeys to the iconic modular “cubes” designed by Pierluigi Spadolini for Italposte in the 1970s. The interiors have been made flexible, well lit and easy-to-use, while the immediately surrounding outdoor areas have been rethought as potential gathering points, contributing to upgrading the urban areas and to building safe, shared spaces.
AMDL CIRCLE has designed the five pilot post offices – Campagnano and Capena in the province of Rome, Passo Corese (Rieti), San Felice Circeo (Latina) and in the city of Rome, in the historic building in Piazza San Silvestre, a 19 th -century building – which are the models for the upgrading of around 7,000 Post Offices.
Interior spaces: reception and usability of services. The designing of the interiors satisfies the requirements of reception, functionality and sustainability, through the creation of environments lit by natural light, the introduction of photovoltaic solar panels and the inclusion of green areas.
The public hall becomes a shared area that is welcoming and practical, in which digitization, automation and assisted technological operations are promoted, favouring the collaboration between customers and operators. The fixed furnishings are made of steel and wood, interspersed with technological workstations characterized by the corporate colour, yellow. The counter front has maintained the requisite of modularity, improving functionality and practicality of use, in line with the ergonomic standards required.
The classic front desks for the public are joined by one-to-one workstations complete with sound-absorbent divider panels and seating for increased privacy. The use of wood and glass for some interior finishes contributes to creating a pleasant atmosphere and maintaining visual contact between environments.
Forms and finishes have been chosen to favour practicality of assembly, cleaning and maintenance. The ceiling is free and left untreated with exposed painted fittings. Nothing is concealed; everything is accessible and easy to access. A grating false ceiling is also envisaged in specific cases.
The yellow band running along the inside perimeter is the element representing the Polis visual identity. It is present above the counter front with monitors fitted inside, and continues on the other walls housing the mountings for the communication elements.
Indoor and outdoor furnishings. The project envisaged the design of certain elements, such as the counters, with the new one-to-one desks, totems and display cases for paper forms and information brochures, stands for monitors and standing desks integrated into them. The seats have also been redesigned: both the single version, composed of a shaped unitized body with lateral folds turned inwards, and the 3-seater bench made of multi-ply maple consisting of dismountable and 100% recyclable elements. 
The space around the post office becomes a meeting place available to the neighbourhood community and the city thanks to the new urban furniture, including a pergola with table and benches where it is possible to recharge electronic devices and connect to the WiFi network. The yellow corporate colour is used in the metal band running along the profile of the pergola and in the other elements designed for the exterior, such as cycle racks, charge points for electric vehicles and lockers for packages. Where possible the planting of tree species typical of the areas where the post offices are located is planned. 
Recognizability of buildings respecting history. To showcase the “cube” buildings designed by Spadolini, AMDL CIRCLE has developed a project that respects their architectural identity and gives them a significant recognition factor. Indeed, the Circle has defined the guidelines both for their conservative restoration and for new solutions to declare and emphasize their identity as buildings: the yellow band on the roof, continuing in the interior, the lighting system and the illuminated and projecting signage are all conceived to guarantee the immediate identification of Post Offices in the urban context.