Acquario Project- Pero Municipality, Milan Private competition for the “preliminary design” of an office headquarter and economical proposal for selecting the “concept architect” and the “coordinated and integrated working plan” Project illustration: The competition area- actually a wasteland fencing the first periphery of the city alongside an high-speed extra-urban road- stands in front of the new Milan metropolitan line Rho-Pero exit, defining a strategic and potential infrastructure terminal. The private client, an important national Construction Company, asked for an innovative office headquarter, performing high-level energy-saving solutions both in terms of urban design and architecture strategy, top level classified, according to the Casa CLIMA “CLASSE A”, a well known standard assumed in the housing estate. The design concept mach all the different requirements- surface necessity, local building constrains, urban context morphology, sun orientation disposals, technical equipment assumptions, etc..- intentionally avoiding the overwhelming contemporary culture of the isolated and self-referred iconic object and opposing to it a dynamic and articulated building slab system, capable of answering the announcement functional brief while generating an urban space hierarchical system open to the city itself. A specific attention is paid to the horizontal building slabs definition. The choice of assuming the open space layout assure the maximum internal flexibility- according to the “artificial landscape” archetypal configuration introduced by Le Corbusier- potentially offering a wide range of office solutions, emphasizing the energy saving requirements. The building slab morphology is bended and high stepped according to plot limitations and sun orientation assumptions, both towards Milan and Rho-Pero, easily affording different volume density and porosity, cross section widening and tightening, overlapping and reciprocal penetration of the working space. As a result, the design gain surprising richness and variety, while preserving strict functional goals. The research of differentiating façade according to sun orientation- 85% of closure northward, using service space, lift and stairs; 100% of openness southward, using movable louvers systems and loggias; 60% of openness westward and eastward, introducing common areas and facilities- in close relation with materials- ray-proof glass, fibre-concrete panel- and technical system- floor and ceiling heating and air conditioning systems- all support an holistic vision of the project and its sustainability. The project therefore aims at balancing energy efficiency and opportunity-limits system offered by the context. Among the most innovative technical solution architecture perform a system capable of recycling the underground warmth to convey into the heating system.