After the mall: a manifesto of sustainability

Sustainable materials, vegetation, natural light and renewable energy: the new Green Pea commercial space in Turin was spawned by a combination of all these ingredients. Inaugurated last December, this venue is a new urban architecture format in harmony with the environment. Running alongside Eataly, this building is the last piece of the puzzle in the redevelopment of the former Carpano Lingotto industrial site. The design is by Cristiana Catino’s Turin studio ACC Naturale Architettura, and Gustavo Ambrosini, Paola Gatti and Carlo Grometto’s Negozio Blu Architetti Associati, two firms that are both focused on eco-compatibility.

Green Pea is a shopping center that applies Eataly’s basic approach, not to food but to furniture, clothing, gifts and cosmetics. Its aim is to change people’s shopping habits. Offering 15,000 sq. mof space over five floors, the building contains some 60 stores and ancillary services. All products on sale are eco-friendly and environmentally-friendly. Each level follows a specific theme: the ground floor is set aside for everyday life-related activities, such as banking and telephone services. Moving to the upper levels, there are spaces dedicated to home and furniture, and then clothing, fashion and cosmetics. The third floor has two restaurants. The top level rooftop garden boasts a bar, pool and spa area.

The building’s faceted shape incorporates green terraces into its design. Its North-South orientation and flared top floor were designed to adapt to climatic conditions and ensure optimal distribution of solar radiation. The envelope features dual surface layers. The outer shell is composed of wooden sunshade slats supported by steel ribbing. The internal façade is made of insulated wooden panels, with ample glass to flood the interior with light. The building’s steel load-bearing structure was entirely dry-assembled by bolting; this means that it may be dismantled and recycled in future.

The interior space layout is flexibly distributed, like a trade fair with immediately identifiable through-paths. Traditional materials like natural lime and wood are used in different spaces, in combination with luxurious elements like leather and velvet. The parquet floors are made from previously-felled wood recovered along the riverbeds of the Varaita valley; the paint used neutralizes pollutants, as well as preventing the growth of mold and microbes.

From a plant engineering point of view, Green Pea provides a broad range of renewables: geothermal wells, photovoltaic and solar panels, mini-wind turbines, and piezoelectric floors that recover kinetic energy generated as people walk over them. More info about these technologies is available in the educational space on the ground floor. Along the ceilings throughout the building, fixtures and piping have been left exposed, in part recalling the site’s industrial origins.

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© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

Visible from outside through the façade, the transparent elements of Discovery, designed by Ernesto Gismondi, light up with either white or colored light.

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

Vegetation weaves into the organic texture of the wooden façades: greenery runs along a system of terraces, its variety of natural environments coming together on the roof, where the large roof garden is dotted with “O” light fixtures designed by Elemental.

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

Installations have been left exposed, recalling the site’s industrial origins. The active and passive environmental strategies adopted in the building, conceived for maximum energy efficiency and to reduce CO2 emissions, have achieved NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) energy class A3 certification.

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

Common spaces are lit by Alphabet of Light circular elements. Designed by BIG, this system generates a diffuse and pleasant light that it also highly-efficient.

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

In the interior spaces, a simple and clear concept creates a complete sensory experience, immersing the visitor in the Green Pea brand identity, its values of respect for the environment, and conscious consumption.

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

On the third floor, the starred Casa Vicina restaurant is lit by a large cluster of Ripple hanging lamps, designed by BIG.

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

Man-made lighting creates a dialogue with natural light as an integral part of the architectural approach, flooding the interior spaces through large windows that also offer outside views.

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

© Fabio Oggero courtesy ACC Naturale Architettura e Negozio Blu Architetti Associati

In Artemide’s prominent solutions for Green Pea, it alternates its more minimalist product lines with dramatic elements, at all times ensuring top-tier professional quality of light. Artemide is committed to pursuing the goal of maximum energy efficiency in its collections, adopting a sustainable approach that, going forward, will positively impact the energy requirements of its lit spaces.

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