The design of the local enterprise centre (ANVA) at Scorzè near Venice by the architects Gianni and Carlotta Rigo, is distinguished by its remarkable form and colour. It consists of two simple, rectangular buildings in reinforced concrete, set side by side and painted in vivid red. The predominant feature of the structure is the set of large windows made of laminated low-emissivity glass Pilkington Optilam™ Therm S3, and assembled in double glazing with Pilkington Optilam™ for additional safety properties.
The irregular high glass façade gives a simple and geometrical form to the building, providing a sense of structural continuity between the inside and the outside. At night time, the glass surface is covered in soft light which reflects in the water surrounding the building. The light colours of the interior, visible from the outside, give a sense of uncluttered space that contrasts with the brilliant red of the façade. The strong colour contrast is attenuated at sunset when the structures are illuminated by ground-level LEDs and the interior lighting floods through the large glazed surfaces.
A calculated use of colours, shapes and glass provides a structure with dynamics and lightness, unprecedented in the industrial architecture.
Photography: Paolo Monello