Energy Performance, Functionality and Light

By Editorial Staff - 6 May 2026
Saint-Gobain has participated in the project

Grid-pattern façades and glazed surfaces flood the workspaces with natural light while framing sweeping views of the Milan skyline. KPMG’s headquarters occupy the 98-m tower at the center of the eastern plot of I Portali, an ambitious Portanuova urban regeneration project – certified LEED Community and WELL Community – designed by ACPV Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. From the outset, esthetics, functionality, spatial flexibility, performance, and visual and climatic comfort guided both architectural and interior design decisions. Accordingly, advanced systems were selected for lighting, climate control and building monitoring, alongside low-impact materials and construction techniques and innovative solutions for resource management and water and energy use, reducing overall energy consumption by approximately 60%. “The project, which recalls the formal abstraction typical of modernist architecture, is characterized by a façade defined by a grid of photovoltaic panels. The public spaces at the base strengthen its relationship with the city, enriching it with representative, sustainable architecture”, explained Antonio Citterio, architect and chairman of ACPV.

Saint-Gobain played a key role in the project’s development, supplying solar-control insulating glass for the façades. High-performance solar-control glass – Saint-Gobain Glass Cool-Lite SKN^® 183 II – was selected to balance plentiful daylight with effective solar control while ensuring excellent thermal insulation. Optimal light transmission is achieved through Planiclear^® base glass, paired with Stadip Silence^® acoustic glazing, which provides sound insulation, thermal efficiency and exceptional transparency and neutrality.

Torre KPMG © Lorenzo Bartoli per Saint-Gobain Italia

A second request concerned the installation of high-performance acoustic ceiling systems. For the entrance lobby, Saint-Gobain Italia selected the monolithic acoustic system Ecophon Fade™ ONE Smooth, ensuring acoustic comfort without compromising the architectural volumes or interior design. In the upper-floor offices, the modular Ecophon Focus™ Dp system was chosen, combining esthetics, seamless systems integration and top-tier acoustic performance.

“The ambition of the project required high-performance materials fully aligned with environmental sustainability and occupant well-being”, said Davide Kohen, Strategic Marketing & Prescription Director at Saint-Gobain. “The solutions supplied for the façade – triple insulating glazing with energy-efficient selective glass – and for interior acoustic treatment – monolithic and modular Ecophon acoustic systems – are designed to meet the most demanding quality standards, ensuring the highest level of performance comfort”.