Silver Winner of the International Architecture & Design Awards 2024

Bonfiglioli Headquarters

Architecture

Corporate & Office Building Design

Concept / Professional Category

Architect / Designer:

Peter Pichler

Studio:

Peter Pichler Architecture

Design Team:

PETER PICHLER ARCHITECTURE TEAM:
PPA Principals: Peter Pichler, Silvana Ordinas
PPA Design Team: Peter Pichler, Niklas Knap, Simona Alù, Ugo Licciardi, Cem Ozbasaran, Filippo Ogliani, Giovanni Paterlini, Domenico Calabrese, Nathalia Rotelli, Angela Ferrari, Alessandro Cardellini, Simone Valbusa

Structure & MEP: ARUP
Electrical engineering: ARUP
Façade planning: Pichler Projects
Fire consultant: ICS Ingegneria
Acoustics: Solarraum
Site supervision: Studio Taddia
General Contractor: Ing Ferrari, Pichler Projects
Project management Bonfiglioli: Federico Mazzanti, Chiara Persi, Vincenzo Lamanna

Copyright:

Gustav Willeit

Country:

Italy

We present the newly completed Bonfiglioli Headquarters in Calderara di Reno, Bologna, Italy. The HQ fulfills the need for an efficient and functional office building reflecting the professionalism, innovation, and history of the Italian company.
Founded in 1956, Bonfiglioli is a leading manufacturer of gearmotors, drive systems, planetary gearboxes, and inverters, contributing to industrial automation, mobile machinery, and renewable energy sectors globally.
The headquarters completes the EVO development, the Group’s largest industrial site in Italy, adhering to energy efficiency standards. It features a 3 MW peak power photovoltaic plant on roofs and awnings, making it a nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) with geothermal heat pumps and radiant ceilings for energy savings and internal comfort.
The HQ stands out as a landmark, incorporating courtyard typology from existing masterplan buildings, hosting a green garden on the ground floor for natural ventilation. The roof’s tilt maximizes north facade workspace with indirect light, while the south facade features a pleated aluminum mesh inspired by the company’s gears, filtering intense light.
Designed for future flexibility, the building’s Exoskeleton façade provides column-free open spaces, fostering connectivity and collaboration. Inside, modern workplace design promotes public interaction, with sculptural spiral staircases symbolizing creativity exchange. Green spaces, indirect natural light, and six south-oriented terraces emphasize employee well-being.
Bonfiglioli’s new headquarters is not just a workplace but a sustainable design model in the industrial sector, representing low-carbon, energy-autonomous buildings and circular economy principles, ready to adapt to evolving company needs.

Peter Pichler Architecture

Peter Pichler Architecture is an award winning laboratory for architecture based in Milan.
We are a young, dynamic and experimental team dedicated to developing an innovative and contemporary approach to architecture.
Understanding tradition is the key to radical evolution. Hence, we incorporate close familiarity with local culture and respect for the natural environment into every single project. This credo builds our studio’s foundations and reflects the way we work. Our vision and team are the pillars of our success.