Spaces, People and Impact: Atlante’s Headquarters Renewal

Atlante’s headquarters in Casalecchio di Reno has undergone a major renewal. A new second floor has expanded the available space, an in-house kitchen has changed the way employees experience their lunch break, and the offices have been redesigned as open-plan environments. The project reflects the company’s growth: over the past few years, Atlante’s workforce has increased from around 60 to more than 100 people.

“When a company grows, it can simply add more space. We wanted the project to be more consistent with who we are,” says Stefano Gandini, Head of Legal Department, who coordinated the renovation.

Spaces Designed Around People

The offices have been redesigned as open-plan environments, bringing teams closer together and supporting more direct communication. Soundproof booths complement the layout by providing private spaces for calls or short discussions without occupying meeting rooms.

“Open-plan offices support communication and help teams work more closely together,” Gandini explains. “The soundproof booths make it possible to alternate between collaborative work and activities that require concentration or privacy, without having to book a meeting room each time.”

Large windows are positioned on several sides of the building. Natural light reduces the need for artificial lighting and improves the overall quality of the working environment. The design is minimal and functional, with clean materials, neutral colours and bright, orderly spaces.

“We wanted every decision to have a clear purpose,” says Gandini. “Design and function were considered together. A physically comfortable working environment affects the quality of people’s work and should not be treated as a secondary consideration.”

The In-House Kitchen

One of the most practical additions is the new in-house kitchen, created as part of the expansion. A meal service was already available, but it previously relied on an external supplier delivering food to the office using disposable containers, tableware and packaging. Meals are now prepared and served directly on site in a space available to both employees and guests.

“With an in-house kitchen, there is no longer any need to transport meals from an external location,” Gandini explains. “This has also removed all the disposable materials previously associated with the service.”

Plastic Reduction: Practical Measures and Measurable Results

The kitchen is one of several areas in which Atlante has worked to reduce plastic consumption. Three containers per person, 120 employees and twelve months amounted to approximately 50,000 disposable containers entering the waste stream every year.

A further 500 water-cooler bottles have been eliminated by replacing the previous dispensers with a direct water filtration system. Where possible, paper towels in the bathrooms have also been replaced with air dryers.

“We did not approach the project as a checklist of sustainable measures,” says Gandini. “We focused on making sensible decisions at every stage. Some have a clearly measurable impact, while others are less easy to quantify, but the underlying approach remained the same.”

Energy: Building Design and Systems

Atlante has been working to improve energy efficiency for many years. Between 2013 and 2020, power demand had already fallen from 120.7 kW to 75 kW, while electricity consumption decreased from 43.2 kW to 29 kW.

As part of the renewal, the air-conditioning systems were replaced with heat pumps. The architectural design also helps reduce energy use passively. The building’s orientation supports solar heat gain during winter, while external shading limits overheating in summer and reduces the demand placed on the cooling system.

“When the size of a building increases, its absolute energy consumption will also change,” Gandini observes. “The relevant question is how efficiently that energy is being used. The decisions made regarding both the building systems and the structure were guided by this principle.”

“Our vision is to be a company where people enjoy working,” concludes Natasha Linhart, CEO of Atlante. “This project is one of the ways in which that vision becomes tangible: well-designed, bright spaces created for the people who use them every day.”