CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati, in collaboration with Generali Real Estate and publisher Mondadori Group, transforms the offices within Oscar Niemeyer’s Palazzo Mondadori in Italy into a Playground Workspace. The project proposes a radical renovation of modern furniture, aiming to create a fully reconfigurable work environment.
In partnership with the late Italo Rota (1953-2024) and Maestro Technologies, CRA has developed a renovation project for Palazzo Mondadori in Milan which honors the original design while introducing innovative strategies for the future of the workplace. The first step of the project deals with more than 20,000 square meters, with a wider renovation program of Niemeyer’s main European landmark set to follow.
CRA has refurbished over 1300 units of the building’s original modular furnishings. This classic post-war furniture by Swiss Manufacturer USM has been carefully dismantled and reassembled, integrating wood and creating additional reconfigurable modules. These interventions include incorporating space for plants, seamlessly weaving nature into the office environment.
The space has been reimagined with desks that encourage informal encounters across all five floors of the building. In addition, new transparent meeting rooms have been introduced to create a greater sense of continuity between spaces, allowing people to move while enjoying the surrounding natural environment. The furniture layout has been designed to maximize natural light, accentuating the Palace’s beauty and cultivating a deeper harmony with the surrounding park.
The Mondadori Group’s offices represent the latest addition to CRA’s continuous research on the future design of workspaces, focusing on adapting spaces to facilitate meaningful interactions between people.
In addition, CRA has a close connection to Oscar Niemeyer’s important legacy. In 2020, the studio worked on the master plan of Brasilia in the Biotic project. This new district, spanning 1 million square meters, is devoted to technology and innovation, in continuity with the original Plano Piloto designed by Niemeyer and Lucio Costa.
