Europe – Page 3 – PLP Architecture

Corso Como Place, Porta Nuova, Milan, Italy

PLP Architecture was commissioned to refurbish the former Unilever Tower in Milan as a contemporary office space. The tower, built in 1962, had been a modernist landmark in the international style, although a recent misplaced attempt at recladding the facade had completely changed its character, rendering it unremarkable and undervalued. The existing block and surrounding buildings had become run-down, in stark contrast to the surrounding buildings of Corso Como. When complete, the building will serve as Accenture’s national headquarters. A new all-timber pavilion adjacent to the tower will house the headquarters for the technology company Bending Spoon.

Yandex Headquarters, Moscow, Russia

PLP Architecture is designing an innovative new smart headquarters for Yandex, the global technology leader, in the Gagarinsky District of Moscow. The project sits on a prominent site near the Moskva River, a short distance from the some of the city’s leading research institutions and the company’s first office. When complete, the 170,000m2 campus will enable staff to have a healthy and sustainable place for seamless work and recreation, a space for inspiration and fun that will integrate technology with materiality to inspire new ideas and ways of working.

Tree House, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

PLP Architecture has recently lodged a building permit application to the authorities for a new mixed-use tower on a key redevelopment site in Rotterdam. The project, for ambitious Dutch developer Provast, is named Tree House, and focusses on creating a lively, inspiring, open and sustainable environment for workers, residents and visitors in the city centre. At 130-meters and 37 storeys tall, Tree House will sit next to the Central Station as one of Rotterdam’s tallest hybrid buildings and will be a bold new addition to the local area. It is dubbed “Gateway to Imagination”, in reference to its position alongside the Eurostar platform with trains to Brussels, Paris, London and beyond.

Tower Ten WTC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The new development at WTC is intricately interwoven into the existing fabric of the complex, creating a stimulating combination of richness and identity for the campus.

Lorenzini, Milan, Italy

This bold new office building in Milan places sustainability at its core, and has been designed with an approach that seeks active and passive servicing solutions to minimise energy consumption whilst maximising the health and wellbeing of occupants. These revolve around the the creation of a highly-resilient, flexible and unique building that actively reduces demand and consumption of energy, considering the possibility of zero carbon in operation.

National Theatre of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

Won in open international competition, the design for the new National Theatre of Cyprus builds upon a public realm strategy that was created by the same design team in their earlier project for the neighbouring Cyprus House of Representatives. The Cyprus Theatre Organization regards the project as a catalyst for theatre arts in Cyprus, “…from this building, a momentum will emerge so that the idea of theatre will rise in the Cypriot peoples’ minds.” – Board of Directors’ Chairman Demetris Karagianis.

Provinciehuis, The Hague, The Netherlands

Provinciehuis, the headquarters of the regional government of South Holland, lies just outside the historic core of the city on a prominent corner site at the Zuid-Hollandlaan and Konigskade junction overlooking the renowned Malieveld Park.

House of Representatives, Nicosia, Cyprus

The design for the new Cyprus Parliament House was won in an international competition. The site is at Monument Square, on the route from Nicosia’s Old City to the palace of the Cypriot President.

The scheme responds boldly to its elevated location, drawing on the ancient Greek imagery of the agora – the market and place for public assembly – and the amphitheatre, the place where debates take place. The architecture of the building is informed by the extreme climate of Cyprus, where summer heat can be extreme. The floor of the debating chamber, sunk into the hill, is contained in a circular drum which is at the heart of the complex. The drum is set on axis with Monument Square. Its double wall is clad in alabaster panels, wood screens and clear glass. The layered wall controls the admission of light and heat. Symbolically, the glowing drum acts as a beacon on the Nicosia skyline.

Sberbank, Moscow, Russia

PLP Architecture was commissioned by Russia’s oldest and most respected bank, Sber, to develop an innovative repositioning and visioning framework for the business that reconsiders everything from its branding to its environments. Building on Sber’s recognised core strengths and values, PLP provided a range of creative services to help enable a new, ambitious and sweeping transformation into a tech company, which will see Sber embark on the biggest change in its 180 year history.

123 Zeil, Frankfurt, Germany

Located in the heart of Frankfurt’s historical city centre, the design of the boutique hotel/retail building affirms its key presence on one of the city’s most prestigious shopping streets.

The building completes the frontage of a highly active public plaza. Contextually and programmatically, the relationship with the ground is very important. The building is lifted allowing the public space to flow continuously. Similarly, at the top, a floating pavilion containing a restaurant hovers above the main volume. Between the two volumes, an open air public terrace overlooks the historical city.