Z-LIFE Zambon headquarters

AMDL CIRCLE has created Z-LIFE, the new headquarters of the multinational pharmaceutical company Zambon, inside the OpenZone Campus in Bresso, at the gates of Milan. The entire building is organised into workstations without barriers between the spaces, designed to favour socialisation and the exchange of ideas and skills necessary for innovation in the world of work. The project develops and promotes new ways of experiencing the office, in line with the philosophy of Earth Stations whereby architecture is an instrument to make the transfer of ideas and knowledge at the basis of the evolution of the world more immediate.
The functionalities of the office have been integrated into the structure of a former factory where iron profiles were produced, combining elements different in terms of time and use in a single building. A glass volume with steel frame has been inserted into the reinforced concrete skeleton of the pre-existing pavilion. The new architectural object is harmonised with the industrial structure, thus safeguarding the memory of the industrial context that is enhanced by the intervention. The glass highlights the concrete parts revealing the history of the building and the contrast in materials renders the structure unique and well recognisable inside the OpenZone Campus.
There are no internal walls and all the environments are connected for sharing purposes. The large open space is developed visually over two floors connected by the apertures in the floors to allow the bustling of the internal activities to be perceived. The open environment allows continuous adaptability to meet the changing demands of a contemporary office. The glass perimeter walls allow natural light to enter, enhancing the space and favouring a positive relationship with the exterior. The transparency of the building is a metaphor for open innovation, in continuous osmosis between interior and exterior.
The original volume has been demolished in the middle to host an internal courtyard onto which the offices face. At the centre of the open space is Open Lamp, a circular glass room devoted to meetings, events and business communication. The domed roof covering Open Lamp is connected on the four sides of the offices via hanging walkways that create an external connection route between the offices on the first floor.
The glass entrance avant-corps is built with a metal supporting structure and is markedly characterised by the larch heartwood of the ceiling and wall coverings. The roof of Z-LIFE, visible from the adjacent buildings, is designed as the “fifth façade” of the building and hosts a hanging garden with natural woods that change with the seasons.