Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have been revealed as the winners of a competition to conceptualize and design a new headquarters and bottling plant for San Pellegrino, located in the terme of the same name in the Alps of northern Italy. Finalists included MVRDV, Snøhetta, and aMDL, each of whom presented their proposals in October last year.
The competition brief asked architects to renovate and expand the historic home of the company, the world’s leading sparkling mineral water company, with a “truly innovative and technologically-advanced design” aimed at integrating into the natural aesthetic of the surrounding terrain, while responding to the iconic identity of the company's brand. It is reported that the 17,000sqm complex is expected to cost €90 million ($95 million / £76 million).
According to the architects, the proposal "is an authentic extension of the rational and functional architecture of the existing factory from 1899, and an homage to the classic elements of Italian architecture and urbanism. The arcade, the viale, the piazza and the portico create an architectural environment where production and consumption, nature and architecture, outside and inside, and making and enjoying are accommodated in an integrated way to elevate the experience for visitors as well as San Pellegrino staff."
The design is evolved around a well-known architectural element: the archway. The simple and clear character of the expanding and contracting arches throughout the campus, create a multitude of spaces and experiences. [People] will walk through majestic vaults, covered tunnels, arcades and green pergolas that frame the history and heritage of the brand. The architecture’s seriality will reveal parts of the surrounding mountains, from the snowcapped summit to the flowing Brembo river.
At the center of the campus, a giant core sample will visualize the 30-year journey that the mineral water must travel through to acquire the minerals and achieve the purity that is unique to San Pellegrino.
According to BIG, they will collaborate closely with San Pellegrino and local architects Studio Verticale over the next four years, with construction slated to begin in 2018. The "first priority will be given to the construction of the bridge that will connect the bottling plant to Zogno, which will then connect to the parking structure for heavy vehicles." From 2019 on, the focus will be diverted to the offices, the northern wing of the Factory, and the "Experience Lab."
BIG, MVRDV, Snøhetta, aMDL Unveil Proposals for San Pellegrino Bottling Plant Competition
