Architecture and Industry 5.0

It is the miracle that architecture sometimes manages to accomplish: transforming an idea or values into realities that can be inhabited by real people.

Ideas and values are, in this case, the technological humanism spoken of by the ceo of NTT Italia Walter Ruffinoni in his Italy 5.0 (preface by Federico Rampini, ed. Mondadori 2021).

Industry, according to Ruffinoni, has in fact entered phase 5.0, which puts "at the center of every reflection  work or space, not only the corporate values of profit and maximization of resources, but also enriching the lives of its employees, consumers, suppliers, communities".

The new office complex of NTT DATA Milan is the manifest work of this new working model. And, as such, his project will also inspire other company locations in Italy.

The architectural project

The structure consists of two buildings: the Human Building (twelve floors above ground) and the Technology Building (four floors above ground).

Common meeting rooms and lounge areas act as a filter for the workstations, building a fluid environment in which the open space becomes shared but also separated in functions.

The different plans have been designed to make it possible to enhance the issues underlying a future tailored to people, such as the community and the importance of relationships, inclusion and sustainability, the strength of ideas and the power of digital.

A need, in the post-pandemic era, in which it is evident that work is first of all sharing and knowledge sharing more than mere personal industriousness, and an enrichment of the whole community.

With almost zero impact, buildings make use of electricity supplies 100% from renewable sources, as well as having photovoltaic panels for the production of solar electricity.

The vision for the city

"The new headquarters represents not only the will to continue investing and hiring in Italy", said Ruffinoni, "but it is also a manifesto of our vision for the future of work that sees environments adapt to new needs of people. The way of being in the office is changing, it is necessary to consider it as a place of relationship in which to foster the creative exchange, which is the basis of any innovation.

We want to build a welcoming work environment in which our people and the 5,000 we will hire between now and 2025 feel inspired and are the engine that will allow the company to make a difference for our country".

To confirm this type of attitude, the words of Mayor Giuseppe Sala at the cutting of the ribbon: "We are seeing in practice the polycentric city, in the awareness that life is made up of many small big centers.

In this space the barriers between work and non-work are broken to build a relational whole that makes people grow. This space is the perfect example that all of us would like the restart of Milan to be”.