PIAZZA CONFINDUSTRIA BERGAMO
A square above a square: a “super piazza”
Identity, nature and technology for the new public space of Confindustria Bergamo
ABSTRACT
The new square in front of the Confindustria Bergamo headquarters is renewed through a light architectural gesture with a strong artistic imprint: a graphic pattern redesigns the urban surface, while a vapor installation introduces a new sense of breath into the landscape. A square above a square, where nature, sign, and human connection transform a passageway into a shared sensory experience.
Design by Francesca Perani.
A new architectural skin designed by Francesca Perani for the Confindustria Bergamo headquarters settles lightly and reversibly above the existing surface: a horizontal and relational intervention that transforms a transit area into a place of identity, pause and community.
A square above a square: a discreet and graphic gesture conceived to redefine the relationship between architecture, landscape and social life at the heart of the Kilometro Rosso campus, between Jean Nouvel’s monumental Red Wall and the contemporary Confindustria headquarters designed by Riccardo Minelli.
The project stems from the need to transform a simple passageway into a safer and more inclusive public space. Addressing technical issues linked to seasonal temperature variations, the intervention elevates—both literally and symbolically—the existing piazza into a new place of encounter, while reinterpreting the natural layer as a living and ever-changing landscape component.
The composition revolves around a large central ring that borders both the entrance from the car park and the access to the building. The platform takes shape as a continuous urban carpet, embracing the main paths and merging with the surrounding vegetation. A circular space is crossed by a single diagonal that originates from the main entrance walls, intercepting the decking and transforming it into a double-tiered seating system capable of hosting up to 90 people and functioning as a stage for temporary events.
A second ring guides visitors towards the other buildings of the technological park, while a third rises above the highest tier to accommodate a vapour cloud. More than a cooling device, this installation introduces a mutable sensory dimension: a seasonal breath, an ephemeral gesture merging technology and nature to evoke an experience of suspension.
The raised surface employs a recyclable composite timber decking system, designed to emit heat during winter thanks to integrated radiant coils. The graphic pattern of the planks follows a precise sequence: a darker initial area, in visual continuity with the asphalt, gradually gives way to alternating light and dark tones, echoing the nearby motorway — a pattern that shifts from a symbol of speed to a rhythm of human relations.
An integrated LED lighting system, placed beneath the seating tiers and around the vapour installation, allows the piazza to transform after dusk, accentuating architectural profiles and enhancing the atmospheric presence of the vapour cloud.
The landscape design, developed with Sara Carrara, acts as a natural backdrop in dialogue with the architecture.
Three Liquidambar styraciflua specimens form the core of the composition, chosen for their marked seasonal transformation: from deep summer greens to the orange and red tones of autumn, which recall and amplify the Red Wall behind them, blending visually with it. At their base, a layer of light, dynamic grasses move with the wind and change hue throughout the year, introducing texture, movement and biodiversity.
Within a context defined by innovation and productive rhythms, the new piazza introduces a different sense of time: one of relationship and shared identity. The rhythmic pulse generated by the vapour cloud makes the passing of time perceptible and brings a more human dimension back into the space.
A vibrant, ever-changing environment where technology and nature coexist to create a multisensory experience, in which every component contributes to an aesthetic device that merges art, architecture and environmental comfort.
CREDITS
Design and Site Supervision: Architect Francesca Perani
Landscape Design Consultant: Architect Sara Carrara
Collaborators:
Claudia Martinelli – Interior Designer
Paola Pedrali – Architect
Asia Abo Cremaschi – Junior Designer
Client: Servizi Confindustria Bergamo Srl – Confindustria Bergamo
Project & Construction Management:
Gruppo YardReaas – Daniele Zerbini, Edoardo Rabuini, Eugenio Fiumi
Plant Engineering Design: Digierre3 S.r.l.
