Mario Cucinella Architects (MCA) has been commissioned for the project of the 16,000 m2 new Brazilian headquarters of Nice, an Italian multinational international leader in the sectors of Home Automation, Home Security and Smart Home. The innovative structure designed by MC A is focused on sustainability and  reinterprets the concept of smart factory by establishing a dialogue with the surrounding community and environment.

The 20 million euros complex is located in Limeira to the north west of São Paulo; it will be an innovative structure, a true “manifesto” of sustainable factory architecture, aspiring to meet LEED certification.
Moreover the new Brazilian Nice headquarter is designed as a smart factory inspired by the principles of Industry 4.0, a new manufacturing approach based on new production technologies to improve working conditions, create new business models and increase the productivity and production quality of plants. the Hq will also be  one of Nice’s global R&D centres.

“The design re-establishes a symbiotic relationship between built space and nature by interacting with the surrounding landscape, reinterpreting traditional Brazilian architectural elements and encouraging users to take advantage of all its passive features”, says Mario Cucinella, MCA founder.

The building will be topped with a featuring roof inspired by the shape of a tropical leaf.
It will present a light, open front to the main public street.
Here, two floors of offices, communal areas, training spaces, triple height showroom and a soaring lobby will be housed under the dramatically cantilevering roof.
Production facilities will be located to the rear, overlooked by a window from the lobby so that visitors can see the automated final assembly line in action.
Beyond the production space, suspended pathways will lead to a rear building of staff facilities containing a gym, nursery and outdoor kitchen area for traditional churrasco cooking, which will be dedicated to employees and their families.

The Nice headquarter is designed to save energy use through a variety of passive and active measures that take advantage of the favourable climatic conditions. As a result, the building will be able to operate off-grid for some portions of the year with zero carbon emissions.

Thanks to a combination of thermal mass and natural ventilation, the production area will require no cooling or heating. The overhanging roof will provide the glass facades with shading from solar radiation while allowing all working spaces to be flooded with diffuse light. Openable façade elements will allow the whole headquarter building to rely on naural ventilation for two thirds of the year.

Photovoltaic panels covering a 4000sqm roof will fulfill the electrical load for the building, potentially allowing it to disconnect from the grid during sunny days.
The roof will also facilitate the collection of storm water, which will be stored in a 500m3 water tank for irrigation and grey water purposes.

Landscaping will create a variety of grass, savanna and forest planting suitable for the local climate to complement the outdoor circulation system. The incorporation of ponds and water areas will help mitigate the run-off of storm water and direct rainwater towards a reservoir at the bottom of the site.
The factory is expected to complete by the end of 2020.

Project Credits:
Mario Cucinella Architect Team:
Mario Cucinella, Michele Olivieri (Project Management), Andrea Rossi (R&D Director), Elena Biason, Maria Pazzaglia, Valerio Vincioni, Anglelo Ungarelli, Augusta Zanzillo, (BIM Coordinator) Yuri Costantini (Mode Maker), Alessia Monacelli (Vizualizer).