Azimut Yachts inaugurates renovated Avigliana headquarters
by Azimut 25 Jul 11:13 BST
Azimut Yachts inaugurates renovated Avigliana headquarters, designed by AMDL Circle and Michele De Lucchi © Azimut Yachts
Giovanna Vitelli, Chair of Azimut|Benetti Group, and Marco Valle, CEO, inaugurated the new Azimut Yachts headquarters on the morning of July 24. They were joined by Andrea Archinà, the Mayor of Avigliana, demonstrating the strong bond between the Company and the town, and by the approximately 1,500 employees who show up every day to fulfill Azimut's mission: "To build the most beautiful, reliable, technologically advanced, and innovative boats, and to support them anytime, anywhere."
The entire project, part of a €50 million investment plan for the production site, was overseen by the artistic direction of AMDL CIRCLE and Michele De Lucchi, who also curated the restyling of the main building and the construction of the new multifunctional pavilion. The employees' offices were completely renovated based on an architectural design by Settanta7. The plan also included a significant energy efficiency upgrade.
With the full support of Chair Giovanna Vitelli, the project marks an evolution of Azimut's work model, focusing on collaboration and teamwork and moving beyond traditional hierarchical structures, even in the configuration of the workplace. This initiative comes at an emblematic moment in the Company's history, the successful generational transition. It is a tangible sign of a shift in culture: the family's entrepreneurial vision meets modern governance, drawing on internal and external talent. The result is a new leadership model, shared and open, that focuses on the future to generate solid and resilient growth.
The inspiration for the renovation project stems from a dialogue between past and future, history and innovation, aimed at sensitively reinterpreting the original architectural concept of the renowned Gabetti & Isola, protagonists of 20th-century Italian architecture who, in the 1990s, designed the Azimut|Benetti Group headquarters in Piedmont, Liguria, and Tuscany.
AMDL CIRCLE - Azimut's longtime creative partner and creator of the iconic "yacht in the pool" at Bagni Misteriosi during the Milano Design Week - reinterprets the original project and enriches it with a new element: the entrance pavilion, the first stop on the new heritage walk that takes you through Azimut's bold and glamorous history. This is an avowedly contemporary gesture, remembering the past and projecting it forward, translating Azimut's identity into architectural form.
"I had the image of the Louvre pyramid in mind. A statement of changing times, but above all a sign of how the new finds its full power in its relationship with the grandeur of the past. Azimut has a history spanning more than fifty years, and the best way to honor it is to continue evolving, as my father always did," explains Giovanna Vitelli.
The new pavilion expresses poetic game of contrasts: the essential, metallic volume, reminiscent of the nautical world, rests on the historic brick structure. The water feature's surface reflects the models of Azimut's "firsts", a tribute to the key stylistic and technological innovations of the yachts born in the mountains to revolutionize the way we experience the sea. Among these, the introduction in 2003 of hull glazing in place of traditional portholes, to bring natural light into the cabins: a visionary choice that is echoed today in the new Avigliana headquarters, with the windows extended for floor-to-ceiling glazing, underscoring the continuity between nautical innovation and the design language of this project.
The panoramic meeting rooms Gogamigoga, Goga and Goghina - named after Paolo Vitelli's boats, who with Piedmontese understatement chose a name that can be translated into Italian as "darsi alla bella vita", in the ironic sense of "giving oneself to the good life" - thus ideally and literally frame the Sacra di San Michele, which dominates the entrance to the Susa Valley: transparency - material, visual and conceptual - is established as a key concept throughout the project.
Transparency becomes the manifesto of an architectural language that transcends pure aesthetics to give shape to Azimut's vision: a work culture based on openness, connection, and trust. This philosophy comes to life in the layout and design of the new offices, where the Company's values have guided every choice: transparency, collaboration, flexibility, and innovation are reflected in spaces where glass replaces walls, and shared environments replace closed and oversized executive offices.
This concept transcends the interior and redefines the way Azimut opens up to the world. Its pinnacle is the new Virtual Reality room, the creative and technological heart of the building: a space where the Technical and Style Offices collaborate daily, and which also welcomes guests, particularly owners. The yacht's hyper-technological "cuisine en scène," where choosing layouts, furnishings, colors, and fabrics becomes an immersive and personalized experience through virtual reality.
The renovated headquarters will open its doors to Azimut employees from September, the month that marks the beginning of the nautical year and that, thanks to a company which has brought yachts built under the mountains to all the seas of the world, sets the pace for this innovative part of Piedmont.