With its elegant glass buildings and wide-ranging views, the new campus of Bocconi University in Milan conveys a sense of modernity, openness and communicative togetherness. Bocconi University, one of Italy's most renowned higher education institutions, wants to use the project to emphasise its pioneering approach.
| Type of Building | Education and research |
| Product areas | Windows Doors Facades |
| Schüco Systems | ADS 75 HD.HI AWS 75 BS.HI+ FWS 50 S |
| Features | New build |
| Location | Milano, Italy |
| Completion | 2021 |
| Architects | SANAA / Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa |
| Specialist company | ALLUMINIO MANUFATTI 2000 S.R.L.,GUALINI S.P.A. |
| Picture credits | © Philippe Ruault |
The university has already opted for outstanding architecture for when completing previous extensions – the most recent example is a building designed by Grafton Architects, whose founders were awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2020, the most prestigious award in the world of architecture. The Japanese architecture duo Kazuyo Sejima and Ryūe Nishizawa (SANAA), also a Pritzker Prize winner, designed an ensemble of six buildings arranged around a green park for the current campus expansion. These outdoor areas are open to the public, entirely in keeping with the typical residential buildings found in Milan with their walkways and large interior courtyards.
Four of the building structures with amorphous floor plans touch one another, which not only creates attractive spaces in-between, but also formulates an exciting dialogue between the architecture, green spaces and pathways. The teaching and administration rooms as well as a hall of residence for 300 students are located here. Two other organically shaped buildings were built a little further away, housing a sports and leisure centre and an Olympic swimming pool.
The horizontal aluminium façade was implemented using the FWS 50 SG system. The planners developed three new mullion profiles for this with depths of 115 mm, 155 mm and 185 mm. They opted for the AWS 75 BS.HI aluminium system for the double-leaf window doors. The window frames were specially redesigned for the split façade, meaning both the profile and the accessories had to be customised. This enabled the clean lines of the façade design to be maintained throughout.
The FWS 60 aluminium system and the ADS 75 HD.HI aluminium door system were used for the entrance areas. Along the sides facing the streets and the park, undulating grilles made of expanded metal envelop the glass facades like a curtain. These metal grilles not only provide sun shading but also create a fascinating interplay between transparency and concealment.
