FELTRINELLI PORTA VOLTA
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FELTRINELLI PORTA VOLTA

A LIGHT, RHYTHMIC TRANSPARENT ENVELOPE

FELTRINELLI PORTA VOLTA
By Editorial Staff -

The Feltrinelli Porta Volta complex in Milan was inaugurated in late 2016 with 1,224 windows creating over 10,000 sq m of glazing. It is another piece in the urban transformation that is revitalizing a section of central Milan near the 15th-century Spanish walls in the Porta Volta and Porta Garibaldi area. Herzog & de Meuron were behind the design, with the development management for the entire project - LEED Gold certified - by Coima. The two buildings in the project will house the new home of the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation and offices for Microsoft Italia, with both structures offering space for research, exchange and interaction, especially with city institutions. Spread across five floors and a basement level, the Feltrinelli Foundation building is home to an impressive archive, offices, a library and multi-purposes spaces. On the fifth floor, a 180 sq m reading room forms the research and study heart, while also offering space for seminars and private or institutional events. The design adapts to fit the shape of the plot, drawing on the simplicity and imposing scale of Milanese architecture, while alluding to the long, linear farmhouses typical of the Lombard countryside. The façade and roof merge in a single glazed structure marked by horizontal and vertical supports in white concrete on the sides of the building, creating a grid effect. At the ends of the building, only the horizontal sections of concrete are maintained, creating an altered effect. This design choice exalts the lightness of the building, while also emphasizing the interior-exterior dynamic. The actual glass was supplied by AGC Glass Europe and, in such a building, it was an essential component in meeting the desired security, thermal insulation, sound-proofing and sun protection requirements. The location, shape and structure of the envelope, engineered and created by AZA - Aghito Zambonini, were other aspects AGC had to take into account. For example, this is a busy part of the city, with plenty of traffic to make sound insulation quite challenging. The upper sections slope inwards, resulting in extensive sun exposure and potential thermal insulation problems. Finally, the protruding concrete supports cast shadows that result in thermal stress on the façade. Given all these demanding aspects, the company went for an insulating envelope with Stopray safety glass on the outside and Stratophone safety glass on the inside. Stopray Vision-72T 10 mm tempered glass with excellent selectivity remains integral even in the case of thermal shock cracks. The very high light transmission percentage is coupled with minimal internal reflection, meeting ministerial thresholds for energy intake (35% or lower). Stratophone G fasT 44.2 glass, used on the interior side, has an internal-facing coating that improves sound-proofing and thermal insulation, helping the entire structure achieve a Ug-value of 0.9 W/(m2K) for thermal insulation. This is the highest level currently achievable without using triple glazing, which would have added problematic weight and thickness to the façade.
 

AGC FLAT Glass italia
Via F. Turati, 7 - I - 20121 Milano
Tel. + 39 02 62690110 - Fax + 39 02 6570101
E-mail: [email protected] - www.Yourglass.com

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