Microsoft Italia has chosen DEGW for its new headquarters in downtown Milan, which will open in February 2017, inside the iconic but clean-cut and simple building designed by Herzog & De Meuron on behalf of the Feltrinelli Group in the Porta Volta district. DEGW is creating interiors designed along the lines of flexibility in accordance with the company’s values: openness, visibility, flexibility, energy, dynamism and innovation.
Interaction with iconic architecture In order to create a harmonious balance between the interiors and Herzog & De Meuron’s architecture, DEGW started from the original building project, which is based around the concept of a Gothic-style Lombard building lot: long and narrow with a glazed pitched roof (reminiscent of a sort of Gothic cathedral) where the triple-height top floor is located. The building is located near historical Porta Tenaglia (Porta Volta), bordering between the old city and new Garibaldi Business District, along the line of the old Spanish walls. The simple, innovative and friendly concept that DEGW has incorporated in the project location derives from a combination of the city’s historical legacy and the technological innovation associated with the Microsoft world.
Smart working The project is part of an enterprise Microsoft Italia first began 10 years ago in the name of a “New World of Work”, an approach to the dynamics of work that involves greater staff flexibility in terms of smart working and the use of functional and technologically innovative spaces to maximise productivity and cooperation. Well-being and the reconciling of personal and professional requirements are the linchpin around which time management and this new way of working revolve, according to which flexibility is an important means of hitting targets. In this process Microsoft drew on the innovative consultancy offered by DEGW, which is responsible for creating interiors embodying Microsoft values in the best way possible and accommodating new means of coming together and working in a pleasant and efficient environment. Interior design DEGW has designed the 7500 m2 of the Microsoft headquarters along the lines free and fluid organisation. The open-space work areas do not feature any dedicated work stations, everybody will move through the spaces according to the business operations they are working on. The meeting rooms and relaxation areas are aimed at encouraging interaction and communication between both work teams and individual workers. DEGW has developed the overall workspace based on a synergy between the city of Milan’s historical heritage and Microsoft’s smart, technological approach to bring together the past and present. This concept is embodied inside DEGW’s customised interior design and space, which is more like a home than a workplace.
DEGW has designed the interior architecture giving priority to Italian taste in design, creating a warm and welcoming environment using natural materials like wood. Wooden structural features incorporated in the space are reminiscent of terraces and the kind of outside settings typical of Italy, where the external garden environment actually penetrates into inside space. Natural features like plants and flower beds are incorporated in the ground-floor entrance. The non-assigned open-space workstations on the various operating floors differ from each other in terms of layout and aesthetics in accordance with function. Certain areas are more communicative and others more private to create a workspace that is not monotonous and encourages creativity. Another fundamental feature of the overall design are the customised, dedicated ‘social hubs’ focusing around three chosen themes: sport, nature and the city. The idea was to create customised spaces in terms of the finishes and furnishing that reflect a chosen theme. Innovation Technology allows increasingly flexible work models to be developed, thanks to the possibility of working in any location at any time. DEGW thinks it is particularly important to convey the cutting-edge nature of this phenomenon in a place where innovation itself is being developed. This means technology is carefully designed into the details and connected to the construction’s Building Management System, in order to create a technologically cutting-edge and innovative setting. This project is an authentic showcase of Microsoft’s latest innovations.
