ECOM Coffee Goes Modern in Historic Genoa, Italy

Come to historic Genoa, Italy where ECOM Coffee breaks the mold in historic Genoa, Italy with it’s modern office thanks to the design of CIRCOLO-A.

ECOM Coffee’s new offices span 250 square meters on the third floor of Palazzo Giulio Pallavicini in Piazza De Ferrari, situated in the commercial, economic, and financial hub of the city of Genoa, in Italy. Surrounded by the grand neoclassical buildings designed by Carlo Barabino and facing the dignified forms of the Teatro Carlo Felice, designed by Aldo Rossi, Ignazio Gardella, and Fabio Reinhart, CIRCOLO-A’s renovation introduces a spatial construction decidedly free from any historicism. The composition is light, with an airy language. 

The areas that structure the intervention interpenetrate and hybridize, giving rise to a space in which one can stay and move with the same pleasure as in one’s own home. The use of color is a fundamental choice in the project. CIRCOLO-A has introduced it with the idea of creating a cheerful and stimulating environment, aimed at fostering creativity and productivity. 

The open space, the heart of the office, has been divided into three functional areas: the dining area, the relaxation area, and the meeting room. The relaxation area, characterized by a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere, with warm colors and comfortable furniture, has been designed to allow employees to rest or work informally. 

Alongside the open space is the operational area, distributed across two rooms and equipped with groups of workstations for a total of twenty people. The structure of the desks, custom-designed and made of powder-coated iron, extends seamlessly to the ceiling, invisibly accommodating the wiring. 

Project Planning

Requests from the clients were to separate the two work areas, the administrative and the operational part, as well as to have a large common area where they could brainstorm and informally welcome clients. From an aesthetic point of view, they are guided by CIRCOLO-A‘s ideas.

The lighting has been carefully designed for optimal visual comfort: artificial lighting is provided by LED lamps, ensuring uniform and comfortable illumination, while natural light, mainly from windows facing the square and exposed to the southeast, traverses the entire space thanks to the new glass partitions. Indoor plants, widely distributed throughout various areas of the office, enhance the contrast with the austere urban environment, contributing to the creation of a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere.

Project Details

The use of colour, from the finishes to the furniture was undoubtedly a prerogative of the project. Color contrasts were fundamental in defining the spaces.

The custom-designed partitions perform the dual function of physically separating the space, but not visually, allowing light to filter through.

Colorful glass and wood partitions, custom-made, divide the space without obstructing the flow of natural light and allowing interaction between the functional areas. These elements, along with the desk frames, establish a delicate geometric structuring of the main environments, complementing the preserved wall partitions. 

Products 

Overall Project Results

Thankfully there were no difficult aspects to manage, as the project was well thought out from the beginning and no difficulties arose during the construction phase.

After about 4 months of use by the clients, positive feedback was received. The colours used in the working areas are relaxing as well as the inclusion of plants help their concentration. The relaxation area, the meeting room with more pronounced shades give a strong sense of place identity.

Design

Simone Ierardi 

Irene Botta 

Photography

Anna Positano and Gaia Cambiaggi | Studio Campo