DESIGN: ENTER THE FIRST DAVINES VILLAGE IN PARMA ITALY

The soul of Davines expresses itself through its deep values. The Davines Village is their symbol: a company headquarters that exemplifies the concept of Sustainable Beauty that we pursue with ever stronger commitment and passion.

Davide Bollati, Davines President

Beauty. Sustainability. Well-being. Three words that drive the Davines brand and are tangibly realised in their new global headquarters.

Set in the picturesque vistas of Parma Italy, this sustainable beauty hub is the contemporary reimagining of traditional dwellings found in the Italian countryside, artfully designed by Matteo Thun’s and Luca Colombo’s Studio MLC.

A mere 20% of the vast 77,000 square metre surface is used for offices and training spaces, research and development laboratories, a production plant, warehouse and a large central greenhouse that’s been repurposed as a communal workspace and restaurant.

The remainder: harnessed and developed into a lush verdant masterpiece.

Designed by renowned landscape architecture studio Del Buono Gazerwitz, these zones include a scientific botanical garden that’s home to some of the plant species used in creation of Davines’ product ranges. (In case you missed it, check out our most recent chat with the brand’s Artistic Director, Senior Angelo Seminara, here.)

In all, the Davines Village communicates the spirit of the Davines brand.

A deep and profound care for the environment and living beings is expressed through the village’s overall plan – conveying transparency and lightness through the heavy use of glass, while harnessing the beauty of nature through the use of woods and sustainable building materials.

We caught up with President of the Davines Group, Davide Bollati, for an insight into both the inception and execution of this milestone project.

TJ: What inspired the creation of Davines’ new Sustainable Village?

DB: The idea to create a place where all our values come together. A unique place that embodies beauty, sustainability, ethics, transparency and wellbeing.

TJ: How long has this idea been in the pipelines?

DB: The idea has become a necessity due to the constant and positive growth of the company in terms of business, increasing performance and new projects. In all, it took us 2 years to create the village.

TJ: Who was responsible for the design?

DB: I choose architect Matteo Thun to design the external architecture of Davines Village because of his record to creating buildings with low carbon emission and integrating the building into the landscape. The interiors are designed by an Italian based interior designer Monica Signani who brought a personal touch with her meticulous selection of furnishing, materials and finishing. The attention to details and sophisticated interiors are something you commonly find in a house, in fact, I used the same interior designer in my own home.

TJ: Are there any outstanding elements that make it unique?

DB: All the buildings are designed as open, transparent spaces surrounded by greens, bringing nature inside. A balance between landscape, architecture, and light to create a positive work environment. The botanical garden is what I’m most proud of, in these areas we will grow the same plant ingredients we feature within our products. This area is overlooked by our Research and Development laboratory and 30 plus chemists and pharmacist. The interaction between plants and researchers is the most critical part of the project in terms of core offering, which is our product ranges.

TJ: How important was it for Davines to create a new sustainable headquarters?

DB: Our new headquarters pays homage to the type of economy we believe in – a humanistic approach where business is conducted ethically. Creating an environmentally friendly building was our priority, sustainability has been in our DNA since the beginning in every aspect of our work. We have implemented a geothermal system and we make use of solar energy, the village is also carbon neutral and is able to compensate for the production of products by sponsoring reforestation projects. On top of that, we want to foster the quality of life of our employees by creating a “home away from home” environment where interaction is welcome, and there is a strong sense of community. Personally, it means that after having many years of not feeling good enough at times as a brand or not having the resources to do what we wanted, we now have more than enough. The Davines Village definitely meets expectations and I’m so happy and grateful for what we have built.

TJ: What can we expect to see next from the team at Davines? Any new products or developments on the horizon?

DB: Being the best for the world, creators of a good life for all, through beauty, ethics and sustainability, is our mission. We have changed our focus – we don’t simply want to be the most admired beauty company IN the world, instead, we’re aspiring to become the best beauty company FOR the world. The opening is definitely an achievement, built at the same time is a starting point, allowing us to raise our purpose. It’s a new platform for our next set of developments regarding products and projects.

Visit: http://www.davines.com/en/