Massimo Tomasoni

This article first appeared in issue No. 4/2024 of Elevatori Magazine

Talking today about multi-level industrial buildings seems out of time. A somewhat archaic remnant of the first industrialisation at the turn of the century.
Fascinating buildings, no doubt (one example among many in our old Europe: the industrial suburbs of Manchester, textile mills now converted to new functions), but to be counted among the outdated, obsolete construction methods in favour of the simplicity and linearity of single-storey structures.

There is certainly much truth in this judgement, but perhaps, in the light of new production requirements and the need to avoid wasting precious virgin soil, this way of seeing should be partially reconsidered.
And one of the key factors for this reconsideration may be todayʼs availability of means of lifting and vertical transport of goods/people that were certainly unimaginable, in their current efficiency, a few decades ago.

Of course, there are types of industry (one for all, the heavy metalworking industry) that must necessarily be located entirely at ground level. The bulk and weight of processing machinery and manufactured goods is certainly incompatible with a multi-storey distribution of departments and the handling of goods produced.

But there are many other types of processing and/or warehousing for which the multilevel building typology could become topical again. Obviously with an ad hoc layout that – suitably integrated with modern height transport systems for goods and employees – does not create any disruption to an optimal organisation of production and handling of raw materials and stored goods.

It is a question of rethinking this type of building starting with the architectural design, which must be conceived around the flows of people and goods and must concentrate efforts – where possible – on a verticalisation of the production process.

When the Zaha Hadid Architecture Studio designed the BMW Central Building in Leipzig, it carried out a very articulated concept that sees, in a mixed context of offices/workshops/production line, the prevalence of a distribution in height. I have deliberately proposed an example of absolute excellence, certainly only feasible and sustainable for a world-class company.

And yet, even in production situations of a lower calibre, it is essential that this issue is not brushed aside superficially. Excessive land consumption, a phenomenon that has become a major issue in Italy, must be curbed, and the study of multi-storey building solutions can be an important aid.

A cultural and design effort is needed to plan productive spaces, with sustainable costs, that go in this direction.
The architectural design of the building must be a suit modelled around work flows, suitably supported by increasingly flexible and efficient lifting equipment.

Some signs in this direction are already beginning to be seen. Just one topical example. The new vegetable production methods known as ʻvertical farmsʼ, a growing reality in Italy, are essentially a phenomenon of multilevel production, as well as being a virtuous example of targeted use of natural resources, water above all.

The world is rapidly changing, and the fabric of production is undergoing profound changes. Even the ways of thinking about and realising workspaces cannot remain forcibly anchored to the building model that has been imposed since the 1980s, they must evolve virtuously. This too is ESG.