STATUS
IN CONSTRUCTION
CLIENT
San Pellegrino S.P.A.
TYPOLOGY
Infrastructure
SIZE M2/FT2
17,500 / 188,368
SHARE
The new San Pellegrino Flagship Factory, located in the heart of Bergamo, Italy, is an extension of the rational and functional architecture of the existing factory where the natural mineral water has been bottled since 1899.
Framed by the river valley and the mountains, employees and visitors will feel immersed in nature from all directions, with abundant views of the flowing river, the forested slopes, the snowy summits, and the clear skies.
Existing Condition
— The S.Pellegrino factory is wedged between the village of San Pellegrino Terme and the Brembo river.
Bridge & Garage
— The S.Pellegrino bridge and garage connects the new access road to the Aldero’ site and provides direct truck access to the Factory. As the southernmost tip of the Flagship Factory, it acts as a gate to the village of San Pellegrino Terme.
Il Viale - Connective Landscape
— A continuous line of trees dot one side of the Brembo river, shielding the infrastructure from one end while also bringing nature closer to view from within the campus.
New Building Volumes
— A new structure reminiscent of a drop of water shapes the northern tip of the flagship factory site. The extension is situated in the northern end of the Factory while the office building is located in the south.
Il Portico - Arcade
— The simple arch element is repeated to create a new vernacular combining historically recognizable spaces with contemporary modes of expression. Caves, vaults, tunnels, arcades, and pergolas are connected and combined.
Il Percorso - Fluid Continuity
— In one direction, the arches frame the spaces, views and entries, guiding visitors in a continuous motion of divided and merged spaces. In the other, the glass, walls, roofs and spaces create secondary connections that define the inside and outside.
S. Pellegrino Flagship Factory
— The new S.Pellegrino Campus combines nature and culture, reconnecting the village to the brand as a place for visitors, employees and local residents to celebrate the core values of the group: Purity, Transparency, Naturality.
A new road system and the access bridge to the facility will reduce heavy vehicle traffic through the inhabited center. Furthermore, the photovoltaic panels, high energy-efficiency systems, and water recovery systems for rational consumption of water resources will be implemented – an approach in line with the company’s focus on environmental longevity.
"The factory extension is imagined as the aquatic equivalent of a wine cellar: light, transparent, fresh, and natural. Like the mineral water itself, the Factory will appear to spring from its natural source, rather than imposing a new identity on the existing complex. This creates a seamless continuity between the environment of production and consumption, preparation, and enjoyment."
By interweaving heritage, nature, and architecture, BIG’s design revisits the classic elements of Italian architecture and urbanism – the arcade, the viale, the piazza, and the portico – to create an architectural environment where production and consumption; nature and architecture; outside and inside; and making and enjoying are integrated to elevate the experience for visitors and San Pellegrino staff alike.
The architecture of the Factory and Experience Lab is designed to feel timeless, mobilizing elements such as the arc – the most materially efficient and structurally elegant way to span across large spaces for production, exhibitions, and events – and the arcade.
Combining the modular architecture of the Factory with the repetitive elements of Italian Classicism and Rationalism, the space is sculpted by expanding and contracting the span of the arches. The architecture of the Factory and Experience Lab feels both familiar and fresh; it is firmly rooted in heritage, yet evolves into the future.
Exposed architectural concrete arches frame the factory, providing glimpses of the Orobie Alps.
Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Elizabeth Mcdonald Jan Leenknegt Jelena Vucic Julie Kaufman Margaret Tyrpa Veronica Acosta Nicholas Reddon Stephanie Hui Simon Scheller Won Ryu Lawrence-Olivier Mahadoo Chris Tron Danna Lei Douglass Alligood Gaurav Janey Giulio Rigoni Molly Hsiao Rou Huang Benjamin Caldwell
COLLABORATORS
Atelier Verticale
West8
Crew
SBP - Schlaich Bergermann Partner
Front
Arup
Squint/Opera
MIC - Mobility in Chain
Wet
Studio Piero Castiglioni
BIG Ideas
Schirra/Giraldi
