Canteen at the Prada Logistics Center

By Editorial Staff - 2 May 2023
Promo has participated in the project

Prada's recent brand reorganization included the construction of a new logistics center in Levanella, in the province of Arezzo in Tuscany. For more than 30 years, Guido Canali has been designing the company's "garden factories" and he was also the creative mind for this project, placing particular attention on sustainability and integration into the surrounding landscape, respecting the environment and ensuring the well-being of the people who work there. In pursuit of this goal, for example, a section was recently added to house a staff canteen. Following the established tradition of Prada's factories, plants play a key role in the canteen, used to set the rhythm for the arrangement of the tables and to cover the walls. In this way, the plants grow from being merely ornamental to becoming an integral part of the architecture, an organic pillar of the entire concept. At the heart of the esthetics of this space is the contrast between the reinforced concrete elements, both prefabricated and cast on site, and the large glass surfaces – and the success of the latter was very much due to the effective collaboration between Studio Canali Associati and the technical office of Promo S.p.A., all under the works management of GPA Partners.
The area is covered by a double-glazed roof made of Schüco Fws 50 aluminum façade profiles supported by a metal structure. The latter has a pergola area of 1,200 sq. m, with plants providing shade for the area below. The use of creepers helps to create a beautiful green cover that is not only visually pleasing, but also absorbs CO2 and keeps the canteen environment healthier. The tension rods used to support the roof beams, for which double UPN 100 profiles were chosen, are transformed from functional elements into decorative additions that blend easily into the heart of this space. Externally, Schüco Fws 50 profiles were used for the façades with an integrated supporting metal structure. The final element that connects the inside and the outside is a metalwork canopy with a glass roof, accompanied by stairs, steel walkways, grated landings and galvanized and painted steel balustrades.