Rooted in Excellence: RADICI, Suzhou
The new factory of RADICI Group in Suzhou, a significant step for the famous Italian chemical company in China, marks an important stage of a more extensive production base.
RADICI Group appointed VIRTUARCH to design and manage its new factory, implementing a high standard.The factory is designed to achieve both the Chinese green building and LEED Gold standards. VIRTUARCH strives to present an efficient industrial project with unique aesthetic attributes, creating a new landmark of contemporary industrial buildings in Suzhou and realizing perfect workplaces for the employees.
Design Concept: Function, Inspiring, Low carbon
The core building of any Industrial project is, of course, the production building. VIRTUARCH developed with RADICI a production building of 133 meters in length and 105 meters in width. This production building is 19 meters high and provides installation platforms for the production processes of RADICI on several levels. The layout of the production-related spaces optimizes the industrial production flow. Warehouses’ loading and unloading areas are arranged according to the factory’s process flow and the logistics organization requirements. The clear and smooth production flow helps save operation costs for the entire lifespan of the building.
The facade of factory is made of light silver color sandwich panels with L-shaped windows, creating a pattern inspired by traditional Chinese forms, forming an element linking between the production building facade and the office building facade.
The large square facade elements of the office building create a clear and calm appearance of the building as a whole, while the shape and the position of these elements create an exciting play of light and shadow.
The facade of the office mainly adopts the curtain wall system. The integrated curtain wall system ensure indoor comfort and achieve high energy-saving standards. Daylight adjustment settings and lighting contribute to an animated facade image, detailing differentiation.
The office building is a three-floor structure occupying the North-side of the production building. The internal functions of the first floor include a generous lobby with reception and waiting areas, conference rooms, the R&D labs and offices, production offices and the changing rooms for the workers.
An inspiring curved stair in the lobby links the entrance area to the functions on upper floors. The open office space and management offices are set on the second and third floors, with access on all floors to green courtyards and roof gardens connecting inside and outside, giving quiet outdoor leisure space for the staff in RADICI.
Visitors and employees are guided around the building by the open stair, which leads to the lounge and conference facilities on the second floor, as well as a friendly canteen and a VIP dining room. Employees also have access to a large training area and a library lounge on the third floor.
The landscaped roof-gardens of the office building gives new vitality and perspective to the project, creating a place for employees to stay and rest as they gather together. Open lawns, densely planted plants and beautiful garden paths have become a unique office landscape.
Green Building
Through overall planning and building optimization design, VIRTUARCH integrates many sustainable elements in this project. Giving priority to passive technology with low investment and high efficiency to achieve a dynamic balance with the surrounding ecosystem, save resources, reduce emissions, and improve the environmental comfort. At the same time, the concept of green environmental protection throughout the whole life cycle of project design, construction and operation. The main problems to be solved are land, energy, water, material, and inside and outside environmental quality.
VIRTUARCH adopts the concept of green, energy-saving and sustainable development and takes energy saving and natural lighting into facade design. The efficient design of the building form allows natural light to flow through the buildings. Photovoltaic panels and rectangular skylights are installed on the roof of the production workshop, producing electrical energy and enhancing the lighting rate of the production area. VIRTUARCH has designed an intelligent, high-quality, efficient, ecological, energy-saving new modern factory for our clients.
Project Name: RADICI Suzhou |
Plot Area: Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R.China |
GFA: 23,400 m2 |
Project Timeline: 2020-2022 |
Service: Architecture Design, Interior Design, Landscaping Design, Design Management, Project Management |
