Prada's 'Factory Garden' by Guido Canali Opens in Arezzo
The new industrial complex of Prada Group in Valvigna, Arezzo, designed by Guido Canali, is now finished. Spanning 33,000 square meters, the facility combines production areas for leather goods from both Prada and Miu Miu with gardens and green roofs, earning it the nickname 'fabbrica giardino.' CEO Patrizio Bertelli highlighted the importance of worker respect, quality, and meticulous detail. The structure includes sunshades, aerial walkways, and landscaped spaces, with a maximum height of 11 meters to maintain the surrounding landscape. Critic Germano Celant likened its design to that of greenhouses. Canali worked alongside Paolo Simonetti on this project, which also features archives, offices, an auditorium, and a data center. In 2016, it received the Brand&Landscape Award. To celebrate the opening, Prada released a book titled 'Guido Canali Architetture per Prada.'
Key facts
- Prada's new industrial complex in Valvigna, Arezzo, designed by Guido Canali, is completed.
- The facility spans 33,000 square meters on nine hectares along the A1 highway.
- It houses production for Prada and Miu Miu leather goods, archives, offices, an auditorium, and a data center.
- The design integrates gardens, water features, and green roofs, earning the nickname 'fabbrica giardino'.
- CEO Patrizio Bertelli cited three principles: respect for workers, uncompromising quality, and detail as culture of work.
- The building features 36-meter sunshades, aerial walkways, and pergolas with vines, mulberries, and pomegranates.
- Heights are limited to 11 meters to minimize landscape impact.
- Germano Celant compared the volumes to greenhouses, referencing Paxton's Crystal Palace and Fuller's geodesic domes.
- Canali collaborated with architect Paolo Simonetti.
- The complex won the 2016 Brand&Landscape Award from Italy's National Council of Architects and Paysage Topscape magazine.
- A book titled 'Guido Canali Architetture per Prada,' edited by Italo Lupi, was published with contributions from multiple critics.
Entities
Artists
- Guido Canali
- Paolo Simonetti
- Italo Lupi
- Patrizio Bertelli
- Vittorio Gregotti
- Fulvio Irace
- Kurt Forster
- Germano Celant
- Claudia Conforti
- Anna Letizia Monti
- Paolo Villa
- Francesco Moschini
- Lorenzo Pietropaolo
- Vittorio Savi
- Andrea Zamboni
- Joseph Paxton
- Buckminster Fuller
Institutions
- Prada Group
- Prada
- Miu Miu
- Consiglio Nazionale degli Architetti
- Paysage Topscape
Locations
- Valvigna
- Arezzo
- Italy