Grifal SpA is a high-tech company, listed on the stock exchange, which constantly invests in Research & Development. In 2020 it chose to establish a development centre within the campus Kilometro Rosso Science & Technology Park in Bergamo as a resident-partner in the advanced materials cluster, among businesses that develop high-performance composite materials and bio-materials. This Hub, which houses the R&D facility, customer reception and spaces used for training courses and events, was designed with the aim of communicating the corporate mission to the visitor: eco-sustainability, innovation and uniqueness.
A large open-plan space, with two large windows opposite each other in a building of modern conception, is furnished using the company's innovative materials to highlight their versatility and uniqueness. The project gives great importance to the choice of materials and their textures: the movable partition walls are made with a corrugated sound-absorbing product produced by Grifal, which run on aluminium profile frames, the same used for the construction of the machinery produced by the company. Another company product, recycled felt of different colours, covers the furniture in reception, the cafeteria and some of the structural columns of the building. The lighting system is deliberately simple: white fittings, of different types depending on the work spaces, to highlight hanging lamps made of translucent paper which is also produced by the company.
The different work areas reflect the company's key concepts: white furniture for the operational office, like a research laboratory; sofas in moss green velvet and black eco-leather armchairs to make the relaxation area and the cafeteria informal, like a living room, a place to meet and exchange ideas; the vertical green wall, close to reception, made of dehydrated essences of ivy, moss and hydrangeas, and the Kentia plants distributed in the rooms, bringing vegetation to the work spaces, as a reference to what is natural and eco-sustainable . In the conference area, the grey, anthracite, black and red fabric of the armchairs, as well as mirroring the colours of the company brand, add liveliness to the office environment; vintage design wooden and metal furnishings have been added to the private office and meeting room, to emphasize the value of reusing timeless products and materials. The woven flooring of the hub is made using recycled vinyl.