The project for Il Prisma has created smart spaces rich in references to the Group’s brands
There is a bat flying around Piazza Diaz in Milan but it has no connection to Gotham City or Batman. What it is, is the symbol of Bacardi, one of the leading producers of spirits and sparkling wines, which recently opened its new headquarters in Milan. An immersive place that will count about 35 employees, and can activate a sense of belonging, dominated by a design that is both warm and rational.
The choice of site, immediately below the Terrazza Martini, is not random. Since it bought the Martini & Rossi brand from Turin in 1993, the company has definitively become a member of the international gotha for the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages. The spaces, divided into thematic areas, talk about this evolution. The design of the modern geometries and the bright spaces, which are a powerful representation of the brand’s identity, is the brainchild of “Il Prisma”, an Italian design firm with offices in London, Milan, Rome and Lecce..
Il Prisma Bacardi office design
As a irst step we chose to «decode the moments in which people come into contact with Bacardi’s more than 200 brands», says Michele Pini, as he explains the vision behind the project. He is the team leader at il Prisma and an associate of the division dedicated to retail and hospitality, “Destination”. «This phase allowed us to understand what they represent for consumers. We have called them “Living moments”, reinterpreting them within the new headquarters in thematic physical areas that divide the office into sections».
And so we get Home, Clubar and Distillery, complementary spaces that represent the variety of the brands in three tre fundamental moments of living: family, conviviality and heritage. .
Home. As the name suggests, this is a space conceived to make the employees feel at home, and at the same time, to become syntonic with the company’s DNA. Magnetic glass whiteboards, warm shades and lots of greenery characterize an open space rich with customized surfaces. Furthermore, with the purpose of inspiring the collaborators and keeping them up to date, there is a digital wall showing the social media channels of the various brands.
Clubar. This is the area associated with the cocktail culture of Milan and so is dedicated to moments of relaxation and conviviality. A space that serves as a meeting place and exhibition area. The shelves of the Martini Bar adapted to office life are lined with dozens of brands and labels from the Bacardi group: a constant reference to the brand that may be found in all the details of the furnishings. One example? The graphic design of the bar’s columns is inspired by the motif of the ceramic tiles in the historic factory, which first opened in the mid-twentieth century in Puerto Rico.
Distillery. This is a meeting room made for brainstorming and exchanging ideas among employees, featuring red brick, exposed ductwork and furniture that evokes the history of the Group. Of all the spaces designed by Il Prisma, it is perhaps the most iconic one in the new headquarters in Milan. Unfurling along the walls is a history of the brand that begins with its more consolidated trademarks, such as Grey Goose and Bombay Sapphire, and leads up to the newer ones, including St-Germain, Santa Teresa 1796 and Leblon.
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translation by Olga Barmine
