Retail and Office Spaces at Borgo Mascarella

Occupying over 200 ha of potentially redevelopable land, Bologna’s TEK District (Technology, Entertainment, Knowledge) is the city’s most significant urban regeneration project since World War II. Extending along Via Stalingrado, the development has attracted major public investments, especially in research and technological innovation. The most significant of these is the establishment of Tecnopolo DAMA, an international supercomputing, big data, and AI hub that occupies the site of former state-run tobacco factory Manifattura Tabacchi. Among other projects, the master plan involves revamping the nearby BolognaFiere Exhibition Center’s city-facing frontage with a new entertainment and cultural hub.

Within this framework, the Borgo Mascarella commercial complex – conceived as a green oasis convenient to the city’s ring road and highway – has recently been upgraded with a new
3,800 sq. m building with extensive retail and office spaces. Designed by Antonio Iascone & Partners, the project has expanded the functions already active on the site, adding another facet to the now ten-year-old complex owned by fuel distributor Sprint Gas. With two aboveground levels plus a mezzanine, the new structure is distinguished by its expansive glazing topped by a series of sawtooth roof modules that echo the roofs of the site’s historic light-industrial buildings. Inside are leasable units, four retail units on the ground floor and office spaces on the upper levels, with the option to combine them as needed.

With a material palette dominated by metal and glass, the design preserves the area’s industrial heritage. The steel structural frame covers the building’s wide clear spans, while the undulating profile of the roof required aluminum for its lighter weight. This standing-seam aluminum sheeting wraps the entire building, curving over the two end façades and continuing along the longer sides of...

Proceed with your preferred purchase option to continue reading

Digital

5.49 €

Add to cart

Printed

15.00 €

Add to cart

Subscription

From 42.00 €

Choose subscription