When speaking about the design of Azimut Yachts’ new headquarters in Avigliana, Michele De Lucchi began with an unexpected yet fitting analogy: comparing a company to a human body.
'A person is an organism made up of different elements, such as the heart and lungs, and just like a human being, a company is made up of essential parts that must be nourished in order to function. It also has an identity,' De Lucchi explains. The comparison encapsulates why De Lucchi and his team at AMDL Circle were entrusted with the artistic direction of the site’s redesign and expansion.
As part of a €50 million investment in the yacht production site, the project aimed to connect the main office building to its mountainous surroundings, expand capacity to 2,500 sq m while effectively highlighting Azimut’s identity as an innovative industry-leader.
‘When considering the renovations, I initially had the image of the Louvre pyramid in mind. I really wanted two things, to renovate and modernise while conserving elements of the past, explains Giovanna Vitelli, VP of the Azimut Benetti Group. 'This vision has resulted in a space that feels like what we actually are: a place of creativity.’
The redesign focused on establishing bright, open spaces that encourage collaboration, the meeting of minds, and the exchange of ideas. It includes a new multifunctional entrance that pays homage to the company’s award-winning history of design, as well as fully renovated offices with panoramic views.
The task of uniting the three existing volumes wasn’t actually the most challenging aspect of the project, explains Davide Angeli, deputy managing director at AMDL Circle. 'It was more the fact that it was quite a compact and narrow building, which required the integration of a new heating system with hidden technology.'
The most exciting element for Angeli was the creation of the new entrance. Vitelli's vision of the Louvre’s pyramid has been interpreted by the addition of this dynamic new pavilion that can be disassembled, reused, or modified. The aluminium façade is evocative of the nautical world and rests atop an existing brick base. A ground-level water feature mirrors models of Azimut’s pioneering yachts.
'We have tried to be subtle with our boating references in the design by using the narrow corridors, sharp corners and edges like the tip of a boat,' Angeli explains. 'These features are not overt or obvious because we did not want to create a caricature.'
The structure now features a green roof, the solar panels meet 30 per cent of the site’s energy demands, and energy-efficient windows that improve natural lighting and reduce energy consumption. For Vitelli, the idea of identity was central to the design and remains just as important now that the renovation has been completed. 'I want to reflect the way we work now, not stay anchored in the past with big corner offices for the leadership team,' she says.
Transparency is both literal and symbolic and takes centre stage in a design that allows the building to remain open, adaptable, and responsive. Generous glazing not only frames views of the surrounding mountainous terrain, but also reinforces the building and Azimut’s potential to evolve with the times.
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