Zucchetti Village: Designing and Redeveloping with Glulam

The former My Lodi shopping mall is undergoing a comprehensive redevelopment led by Lombardini22, with the project focused on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Destined to be the new headquarters of software company Zucchetti, the project involves the partial demolition of the existing structure and construction of a new six‑story building. Zucchetti already occupies offices in the nearby Torre Zucchetti, which architect Marco Visconti and his firm MVArchitects renovated in 2017. Glulam plays a leading role in the latest project, with LignoAlp supplying the structural columns and floor decks that extend from the second through the sixth floors. The new building and the adjacent tower, which together will form Zucchetti Village, will accommodate around 1,500 workstations.

The reinforced concrete structure of the former mall was retained, with interior volumes carved out to create two interior courtyards with seating and landscaped areas. A section of the former mall concourse has been transformed into the new lobby – a double‑height bioclimatic atrium with a sloped skylight system. Like the glulam structure, this element is intended to reduce the building’s environmental footprint and energy consumption. The result is a reinforced concrete and glulam hybrid.

Sustainability underpins the entire project, which includes several green roofs and terraces. Because wood sequesters approximately 1,600 metric tons of CO₂ across the project, using timber lowers the embodied carbon compared to traditional materials like concrete and steel, which require energy-intensive manufacturing. Over the long term, each cubic meter of wood used stores about one metric ton of CO₂. Timber will also enable compliance with end‑of‑life reuse targets.

The choice of glulam is not only a response to energy efficiency goals but also reflects the design intent to create a comfortable, stimulating, and healthy environment through exposed wood surfaces in ceilings, columns, and millwork.

LignoAlp began erecting the glulam elements in December 2023. By late February 2024, all columns were set and the installation of the floor slabs began. Given the scale of the project and the dimensions of the individual components, the firm described the job as “challenging, especially during the assembly phase.”

For more information: www.lignoalp.com