Viale Parioli 40 - Roma
project image
Incà - Office Building
Barletta
The modern Mediterranean - In the province of Bari the architecture firm Alvisi Kitimoto + Partners has developed Incà: a fully liveable industrial complex The Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners firm presents its recent Incà project for small- and medium-sized companies from Barletta, in the province of Bari. It is fruit of considerations on two major problems: the search for an industrial typology connected to the context and to the local Mediterranean identity and the use of prefabricated and flexible elements to reduce the overall budget. Set in a particularly degraded area where the buildings and their finishes heterogeneously recall the typical residential architecture of Southern Italy, the Incà project by Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners is modular, flexible and matching and it can be sold or rented even when the buildings are completed, as when the project was started the final users were still unknown. The complex consists in 7x7 m blocks for the offices and in 7x21m ones for industrial areas composed of nearby modules that can be connected to each other. Every module features a private square in front of it with a shelter for goods to be loaded and unloaded from both the building’s front or back yard. The office block and the industrial warehouse are conceived as two independent structures, connected by a shelter that stretches over the offices, uniting the whole industrial complex. Though it is made of standard prefabricated buildings, the Incà project boasts a really personal look thanks to the original assembly or treatment. As a matter of fact, every single block in white concrete has been clad in grey laminated panels. The inside is characterised by high visibility and natural lighting thanks to a 7-metre open space. The industrial warehouse consists in prefabricated blocks with typical triangular trusses, divided into two parts and laid matching the lower wings to create butterfly-shaped structures, lending the building an original and at the same time Mediterranean look. Besides, this solution enables to directly connect the warehouse to the offices, from which you have a privileged view over the activities carried out inside the warehouse. The outside parts and the landscape of the whole industrial complex have been personalized with a hyper-graphics that plays a guiding as well as decorative role. The Incà project by Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners boasts a pleasant and cosy micro-urban setting, thus making it a reference point for Barletta. It is even an interesting point for activities, other than the industrial-based ones. The insertion of other working activities such as graphic and photography labs or dance schools required the creation of a new office building on the central lot. The latter stands out among the others for its simple look. It is a 12x70 m box with just one staircase placed in the middle of it. To lend transparency and visual movement to the building, the main front features a large glazed window, irregularly interspersed with white sunscreen panels, while the back front is characterised by an as much irregular series of openings and shelters. The interiors welcome administrative offices on two levels with a single cantilevered balcony. In designing even this office building, Alisi Kirimoto + Partners focused on modular finishes, starting from the prefabricated panels in concrete or grey laminate to the glass surfaces. The attention to the architectonical details and the simple space organization lend the building a sober and original character. Client: Edil Bari di Vincenzo e Ruggero Salzo Project: INCA’ complex for small- and medium-sized companies Site: Barletta, Bari Architectonical project and supervising: Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners Lot: 45,000 sq m First phase: 1997-2002 Second phase: 2004-2006 Third phase: 2007-2010 Photos: Luigi Filetici