Prelios, Valtellina HQ: a symbol of the changing world of work in a constantly growing metropolis

The new HQ of the Prelios Group in Via Valtellina in Milan used as a case history as part of an important meeting dedicated to the latest frontiers of agile working.

Gianni Armas, Head of Technical Services and Technical Director at Prelios Integra, spoke on 13 June at the meeting organised in Milan by CDV Conference Management, on the theme of 'Co-Working and Smart Working: the new formats for the service sector'.

'Prelios is a virtuous example of the redesign of work space with a view to Smart Working', stated Armas. 'Under the supervision of Prelios Integra, our Group has just completed the new Milanese HQ in Via Valtellina, which features open, well-lit space aimed at stimulating creativity, flexibility and collaboration through the presence of numerous shared areas. This is also thanks to our IT infrastructure which enabled us to 'release' all our colleagues from their work station'.

Sharing, informal meetings and moments of relaxation coupled with a view over new Milanese skyline: 'The top floor in our building houses a common area which all employees can access, where it is possible to meet or just enjoy a break from work, while admiring the constantly growing Milanese horizon, with the most important new skyscrapers of the capital of Lombardy', recalled the Technical Director of Prelios Integra.

It is the same area which on 28 May hosted the inauguration of the new offices of the Prelios Group in the presence of the President of the Region of Lombardy Attilio Fontana, the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala and the Assessor for Town Planning of the Municipality of Milan Pierfrancesco Maran. Acting as hosts were the Chairman of the Group, Fabrizio Palenzona, and the CEO, Riccardo Serrini.

Gianni Armas illustrated the renewal of the building in Via Valtellina from a Smart Working viewpoint: 'Once the Group chose this building, we were very happy to be able to use the potential of a particularly iconic building, designed by the Milanese architect Dante Oscar Benini and which is of great value in architectural and image terms. We obviously wondered about the compatibility of the building's layout with our Group's organisational model. Prelios is a Group consisting of operational business units which supply services to the real estate market, each with their own characteristics and autonomy, linked by a strong Group identity, which makes Prelios unique in terms of the possibility of offering the full suite of services to the real estate sector over the life cycle of the property'.

The complete redesign of the space was essential: 'We created a distribution of single divisions into autonomous areas, and at the same time a sense of assimilation generated by the vertical connection using numerous lifts and the bridges connecting the two buildings which make up our headquarters. The premises in Via Valtellina in fact consist of two buildings, which are functionally autonomous and separate, connected by an internal staircase of great architectural value, which enables the two buildings to be synergically connected. At the horizontal level we, therefore, have common work areas for the various business units in an open space format, in order to facilitate the necessary collaboration between the work teams and operating space which is divided on the basis of the sensitivity of the work being undertaken'.