European Space Agency

The overall project included the demolition and reconstruction according to new seismic standards of Building 12 of the ESA headquarters in Italy, and its complete restructuring to enable new ways of working. The intention was to achieve an evolution not only in the building’s architecture but also in the space planning, interior design, and workstyles. The new design concept was strongly influenced by the institution’s commitment to achieving LEED certification—and the project was implemented with sustainable furniture and materials.

While the previous design relied on individual workspaces, ESA desired to create an experimental space that would accommodate all the cutting-edge innovations in the work environment. The project focused on user well-being, taking up the challenge of creating a unique, yet acoustically protected environment—with panels and partitions, including vegetation, to optimize sound absorption. Acoustic expectations were to reduce reverberation on the desks as well as the entire workspace. Benches with Universal Screens and MeetYou partitions or suspended screens were placed in various locations around the workspace.

Using brown and grey finishes, yellow fabrics, and green accents, the overall ambience of the space is in line with ESA’s corporate identity. The green color comes right to the workstations with Artemide lighting, but mainly through a wide variety of plants chosen to absorb indoor pollution and reduce electromagnetic areas. Engineers’ workstations are Epure benches for four or six positions, with tops that integrate the Artemide floor-mounted luminaires, and Be_Hold lockers for personal storage. Fern task chairs, like the Epure product, contribute to achieving LEED accreditation—making this environment truly pleasant and attractive, as well as healthy.