An office tower embraces the surrounding cityscape

A sweeping renovation project has breathed new life into this 1990s office tower, imbuing it with a fresh purpose. The grand entrance hall, once a sprawling corridor leading to elevators, has been reborn as an expansive reception area featuring a bistro café and an expanded fitness centre. This revamped entrance opens onto a large garden that has also been reimagined to include designated zones for relaxation and alfresco workspaces. According to the architects from the US firm TVA who spearheaded the retrofit, this public space embodies a novel concept: “Our aim was to create a high-tech garden atmosphere. The building houses one of the city’s rare urban squares, a historic feature of this tower, formerly the AT&T headquarters. Our concept was to bring the garden’s ambience indoors but with a modern touch. By employing cutting-edge surfaces with organic qualities, we effectively blended the interior design with the external environment, maintaining its urban essence while infusing it with newfound warmth.”

The outdoor area features wood-inspired ceramic slabs from the Provoak Rovere Puro by Provenza collection installed in a herringbone pattern, which continue in the foyer alongside large-format tiles from Imola Ceramica’s Limestone Natural White collection. This rugged, hard-wearing surface also extends into the elevator cabins, boasting a soft hue and a bright, invigorating and chalky finish. This gives a contemporary and natural look to the ground floor space, which now encompasses meeting zones, an arena and dining areas.

“The choice of large-format ceramic tiles allowed us to achieve an astonishing aesthetic effect. The large size of the slabs equates with fewer joints and a super flat surface, affording greater control over visual effects,” said the architects.

“Moreover, the cost-effectiveness of the materials and reduced installation times made them a sustainable choice.”

The second floor now houses a new wellness centre and a large conference area, allowing users to find an ideal balance between work and leisure. The restrooms across all floors maintain the same focus on opulent design with high-performance finishes and a nature-inspired aesthetic. The Eureka tile collection (Provenza) in the Moka and Sabbia colours evoking the tones and veining found in Sicilian limestone was chosen as the floor covering in these areas. Stone Concept porcelain stoneware slabs from Ceramiche Piemme, in the Bone version, were used on the walls. This collection draws inspiration from reclaimed sedimentary limestone featuring delicate, variegated veins characteristic of the Burgundy region of France.