187 Prada Levanella, Warehouse and Distribution Centre

Process

The roof design based on the veins of a leaf echoes the storage and flow of goods inside the building.

The international distribution center is located in an idyllic landscape beside a river.

A large volume with a two-story wrap-around tunnel in honeycomb concrete for goods traffic. Model studies of the volume, the goods tunnel, the honeycomb concrete and rainwater pipes.

Facade diagrams of the first design featuring water drainage, lighting, smoke extraction, surface finish.

A second, pared-down design in 2004 envisions a tentlike roofscape.

Second design: sections, floorplans and roof structure with functional diversification including a waterscaped greenroof.

Team

Partners: Jacques Herzog; Pierre de Meuron; Christine Binswanger
Project Team: Stefan Marbach (Associate, Project Architect); Mathis Tinner (Associate, Project Architect); Stefan Segessenmann (Project Architect); Jad Silvester (Project Architect); Luca Andrisani; Frédéric Chartier; Guillaume Delemazure; Enrica Ferrucci; Maria Flaccavento; Volker Helm; Martin Krapp; Karolina Slawecka; Stefano Tagliacarne

Facts

Client: Prada Industrial SpA
Planning: General Planning: Favero & Milan Ingegneria S.r.I. Società di Progettazione, Mirano-Zianigo, Venice, Italy; Architect Planning: Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, Switzerland; Local Architect: Lucherini Associati Ing Arch (Public Infrastructure), Arezzo, Italy; Structural Engineering: Conzett, Bronzini, Gartmann AG, Chur, Switzerland; Structural Engineering : Favero & Milan Ingegneria S.r.I. Società di Progettazione, Mirano-Zianigo, Venice, Italy; Mechanical Engineering: Manens Inertecnica Consulenza e Progettazione Impianti Technici, Verona, Italy; Landscape Design: Michel Desvigne, Paris, France
Specialist / Consulting: Facade Consulting: Emmer Pfenninger Partner AG, Munchenstein, Switzerland; Hydrology: Remo Chiarini - Ing. Remo Studio Ingegneria civile, Arezzo, Italy
Building Data: Site Area: 1'001'042 sqft, 93'000 sqm; Gross floor area (GFA): 1'022'570 sqft, 95'000 sqm; Footprint: 602'778 sqft, 56'000 sqm

Bibliography

Gerhard Mack, Herzog & de Meuron: “Herzog & de Meuron 1997-2001. The Complete Works. Volume 4.”
Edited by: Gerhard Mack. Basel / Boston / Berlin, Birkhäuser, 2008. Vol. No. 4.

Nobuyuki Yoshida (Ed.): “Architecture and Urbanism. Herzog & de Meuron 2002-2006.”
Tokyo, A+U Publishing Co., Ltd., 08.2006.

Herzog & de Meuron: “Prada Aoyama Tokyo. Herzog & de Meuron.” Edited by: Germano Celant. 2nd ed. Milan, Progetto Prada Arte srl, 2003.

“Herzog & de Meuron. Natural History.”
Edited by: Philip Ursprung. Exh. Cat. “Herzog & de Meuron. Archaeology of the Mind.” Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal. 23 October 2002 – 6 April 2003. 2nd ed. Baden, Lars Müller, 2005.