As if spilling out from beneath the proposed building’s lifted form, the landscape concept for UniCredit Bank’s second headquarters seamlessly extends the strong geometric language of the new architecture and continues the grandness of its public gesture. The designed open space features a basketball court, ping-pong, and play area; their staggered arrangement in dialogue with the forms of the other common areas at the building’s base. A broad foot and cycle path strings together the various activity zones and intersperses them with cosy seating areas.
Additional vegetation complements the lush canopy of existing trees to the north and reinforces a cohesive design language; the newly planted trees stand in a grid echoing that of the pillars holding up the hovering building. The wildlife corridor along the railway is separated from activity areas with a vertical barrier that safeguards natural habitats without shading them and doubles as noise protection for the new park.
Careful choice of materiality differentiates between the active and passive portions of the park, with surfaces for the southern active zone ranging from water-bound pavement to sand areas, bark mulch, and permeable concrete. Meanwhile, paths in the more tranquil northern reaches feature small stone pavers with open grass joints, merging seamlessly with the adjacent green areas and facilitating rainwater infiltration.
Rainwater collected on the building’s roof is gradually released into a lowered green retention area. This system leverages the site’s existing topography and prevents flooding. During heavy rain events, the retention area fills to become a pond that accentuates the contour of the adjacent basketball court.