It is inaugurated Saturday 16 June in Milan, in via Lorenteggio, the Vodafone Village, the new Vodafone headquarters in Italy. The presentation of the new eco-technological headquarters, which houses around 3 employees, will begin at 10,30 and will see the presence, alongside the managing director of Vodafone Italia, Paul Bertoluzzoby the President of the Council Mario Monti.
The Vodafone Village is the new Italian office complex, for a total area of 67 thousand square meters which represents a example of recovery of an abandoned industrial area for the creation of a new workplace, eco-sustainable, totally connected, multifunctional and shared.
The structure was in fact built with a series of measures inspired by sustainability, so as to halve the environmental impact: from the 800 sq m photovoltaic garden, capable of producing more than 80 Kw/hour, to a 3 Megawatt trigeneration plant, to a special photocatalytic cement which allows the reduction of organic and inorganic pollutants present in the air.
The investment was over 300 million euros, e represents the main real estate investment made by Vodafone worldwide. In just three and a half years, an area of 40.000 square meters was reclaimed and recovered, to the benefit of the entire district.
An innovative system was applied to all the glass surfaces (90% of the facades) consisting of triple-glazed windows which contain mobile slat screens capable of interacting with solar radiation, to obtain greater environmental comfort and the lowest possible energy expenditure. A software manages the movement of the screens inside the windows, modulating solar radiation to the level necessary to optimize the entry of heat and light into the building. This technology, which allows offices to be illuminated with full natural light, greatly limits the energy requirements for heating and cooling the rooms. Furthermore, the hydraulic circuits are all variable flow and controlled with frequency regulators, thus offering the possibility of spreading only the quantity of water really necessary.
The internal environments, developed horizontally in open space and characterized by formal and informal meeting areas, reflect a more interactive and dynamic way of working, made possible by new technologies and a new concept of workspace: totally connected, multifunctional and shared.
Were also made a internal kindergarten for employees' children and numerous common areas for meeting and relaxing, including the photovoltaic garden full of plants and greenery, the Red Bar, a panoramic meeting point for business meetings in a suggestive atmosphere, the rose garden, accessible from the elevated internal courtyard characterized by a central grove with water features and shops, including a new Vodafone shop. The building is also equipped with a 1500 m500 company restaurant with garden, the Cafeteria, which, equipped with a 2000 mXNUMX kitchen, is capable of handling over XNUMX meals. Through "islands" characterized by diversified menus, it is possible to avoid overcrowding during peak hours and, thanks to an agreement with the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, a food program has been created which helps to stay healthy and allows those who of intolerances, including coeliacs, to choose only compliant foods.
The Village also hosts the Vodafone Theatre, a hyper-technological auditorium with around 400 seats, which is also made available for events and initiatives by external companies. The complex is equipped with a Learning Center, a real University within the company which consists of nine classrooms with movable walls, capable of accommodating around 180 people and built with ad hoc technologies to make lessons more effective: in fact, over 1 million hours of training are conducted every year. The Cometa Foundation was involved in the project, which contributed to the furnishings of two "special" themed classrooms, set up with totally ecological and recycled furniture. The two environments recall the mountains and the sea, so as to prepare for well-being and have been furnished with design chairs and tables made by the students of the Contrada Degli Artigiani, a project of the Foundation that allows various young people to learn from master craftsmen the so-called " old trades”, such as carpentry, restoration and decoration.
