Iren Central Heating | Jean-Pierre Buffi & Marianne Buffi

The implant of integration and reserve is part of the integrated co-generation and district heating system, which provides heating to 55% of the volume of Turin, making it the most heated city in Italy, and one of the most heated metropolises of Europe.

The implant is designed to ensure the quality, also in terms of comfort, of the service provided to customers resident in the Turin Centre, especially at the morning rush of heat demand or the coldest days of the winter season.

The heat storage system, functional to maximize the use of the thermal energy produced in cogeneration during night hours and to limit the hours of operation of hosted in the plant steam generators.

The architecture of the factory is an urban sculpture: The exterior cladding which includes the cylinders, the chimney and the boxes forms a spiral of movement which gives it a dynamic aspect.

The structural solution chosen is that of gantries combining columns and long-distance girders of precast concrete; the desired effect is to liberate the central space. The skin is composed of a series of metallic sails overlapping each other.

The metal has been determined for its resistance to time and for its power of capturing light. The use of this material allows variations of light throughout the day, and at night, the control unit lights up and becomes a light signal thanks to an internal lighting system.

Design By Buffi Associés