A metropolitan style

Located near the centre of Milan, not far from the Lambrate railway station and the river Lambro, the Metro Complex business centre stands on a trapezoidal site delimited by busy roads. It has two large car parks, one on the basement level of Building C and the other on the ground level, between Via Siusi and Via Tolmezzo.
The five totally independent buildings that make up the complex are located predominantly on the edges of the development and face onto three main streets. The only exception is the centrally positioned Building B, referred to in the urban plan as Times Square, which due to its location effectively serves as the nucleus of the entire development. Consisting of a block with central courtyard, this building acts as a kind of urban backdrop to the central paved square and dominates lines of vision throughout the development. Architecturally, two sides of the square are delimited by a distinctive yellow-coloured façade, in front of which stand slender columns supporting roof-level horizontal solar screens that serve to shade the second floor, set back from the external edge of the building. A metallic substructure fixed to the facade supports vertically-oriented solar shading units that shelter offices on the mezzanine and first floor levels from sunlight. In one corner of the building stands a distinctive circular cross-section stair block, a compact cylinder cut away on one side by full-height glazing to allow daylight to flood in. This unit gives the main entrance a clear visual identity. The basement level houses a 350 square metre cafeteria that overlooks the internal square and has an independent exterior entrance.
The upper floors of the building are devoted predominantly to business functions and house around 4,000 square metres of office space, consisting of large open-plan areas more than 3 metres in height. These spaces are highly flexible thanks to the possibility of installing movable walls according to specific requirements. They are equipped with raised floors and suspended ceilings complete with integrated lighting fixtures and fan-coils for the air-conditioning system. Each unit also has its own temperature control panel. While the exterior stands out for its distinctive yellow colour, the interior spaces are strongly metropolitan in style and feature cool colours and a highly customised minimalist design.
In the building’s bathrooms, located alongside the highly modern and technological workspaces, the architects opted for ceramic tile from Ceramica Vogue. The delicate colour palette helps to emphasise the brightly coloured washbasins and accessories. The only differences between the horizontal and vertical surfaces are the format and colour: square and Perla for the floor (Flooring collection), rectangular and Lilla for the walls (Interni series). The Glass collection has also been chosen for the toilets as a way of enhancing these often neglected spaces.