The office of the future is an intelligent factory and bioclimatic machine.

“An architecture which, thanks to being in close harmony with the natural elements of its surrounding territory, minimises the impact on the environment.” With this, Mario Cucinella presents the latest project for the Brazilian headquarters of Nice, holding faithful to the mission of sustainability that has long distinguished his architecture. Conceived to embrace the geographical and environmental context in which it’s located, the building designed for the company specializing in security is located northwest of São Paulo. Paying homage to its host territory, the building reinterprets traditional Brazilian architectural elements with technological solutions that allow it to exploit the characteristics of architecture to reinforce a balance between the built space and nature.

Unlike workplaces that seek an introverted approach to their surrounding context, MCA's design creates a dialogue with the local community and environment by absorbing the outdoor space and its natural features. The large windows of the main façade therefore open up to the main street, allowing the offices, common areas and training areas to enjoy the view. The rear section, on the other hand, is dedicated to production, which can be viewed from the main lobby thanks to a large window. The entire building sits below a large roof — "a tropical leaf resting gently on slender columns, protecting the existing vegetation, and offering shade to all the functions underneath it.”

The large roof, articulated here with an irregular spiked shape, becomes an element grouping the various parts of the factory and lending them order, using its shadow to mark the threshold between interiors and exteriors. In addition to its highly symbolic form and role, the roof acts as a passive environmental measure, offering protection from the sun's rays during the hottest months of the year. In fact, with its overhang, it shelters the facades from direct radiation while providing complete illumination to all rooms. Added to this are the facade's opening elements, which allow the entire building to take advantage of natural ventilation for about two-thirds of the year.

Spanning more than 20,000 m2, the Nice Brasil headquarters aspire to become a benchmark for manufacturing sites as a model of sustainable industrial architecture. Designed to reach LEED certification — the highest standards in sustainability — the project was created as a smart factory applying a production approach based on the use of new technologies designed specifically to improve working conditions, fostering a sustainable business model capable of increasing the quality and production efficiency of the plants.