Archestral

At Archestral, architects and engineers create value with high quality projects.

We design authoritative, sober and recognizable architectures. We adopt an integrated approach to design and execution: from the very first feasibility audit to the on-site presence, each stage relies on the competent contribution of the different perspectives. The excellent synergy of our team is the result of years of collaboration.

We start from clear assumptions, implementing a straightforward method capable of eliminating problems. We make it simple, avoiding unnecessary complexities. We believe in a hassle-free workflow, without delays or continuous adjustments. We guarantee our clients a consistently clear picture, until the completion of the work.

In every step, a 360-degree vision becomes reality through what we do. Every aspect of an operation (financial, technical, aesthetic, urban planning, regulatory, environmental, safety) is thoroughly assessed. We bring all existing opportunities to full maturity, in the management, design and implementation stage.

Ours is an educated, never academic, approach. In each of our project, we offer a strong point of view, inclination to innovate, creativity in design (which leads to enlightening intuitions, often crucial in this field), with no urge to be in the limelight.

We always act as a team, avoiding fruitless self-interests. Still, the partners in charge of each function ensure their full attention to the clients. Our reliability and our professional know-how go hand in hand with the disposition to build a personal relationship and offer a solution tailored to the clients needs, which more anonymous firms are not able to deliver.

Each professional works within an overall project, defined at the outset. Many different parts combine as in a brilliantly written symphony.
A perfect and harmonious execution ensures the certainty of results.

The integrated approach

Coordination from the outset,
to work coordinately

Archestral is a cliquey and experienced team of architects and engineers. We pursue an integrated approach. Each of us brings a strong specialist expertise in their area of responsibility, but each project is the result of an overall view.

Each of our specialists definitely understands others’ language and knows the different design angles from which the same problem can be addressed. Each of them, with their specific know-how, contributes from the very early stage to shaping a coherent project.

What allows us to make this approach a reality? Integration is the promise of many, of course, but for Archestral, this is an ability that has been consolidated over time. From the long-standing expertise gained in the construction of the new Giorgio Armani headquarters, which in Milan inaugurated our experience of team design, to residential projects driven by a strong need for customization, through commissions of all sizes, in all industries and with the most varied features, we always implement a shared process, which gets refined with each new accomplishment.

In the preliminary development stage, the entire team of Archestral partners assesses the feasibility and the opportunities of a project, considering all the technical, financial, urban planning and regulatory aspects. Similarly, in the remediation and in the architectural and engineering design stages, all specialists’ perspectives are constantly intertwined, outlining a complete picture.
This is the same principle that inspires the planning of worksite activities and works management, with their relevant design, structural and safety implications. We overcome compartmentalized views, building an all-round awareness. Each intervention is driven by a holistic vision, both detailed and harmonic.

Architecture, environment, safety, structures, electrical systems, air conditioning: one company, all functions working together.
For projects that unleash the full potential of a real estate operation.

The skills

A team of architects
and engineers

Archestral gives value to properties with an impressive and authoritative architecture.

We are inspired by a functional and sober conception, which is at the same time well recognizable and essential, but not minimalist.
Far from formalism and fashions, it is never trivial or unrealistic.

The organization of our work is based on the close collaboration of five units, each responsible for a single functional area but structured to operate in an interconnected fashion with the others.

Faithful to the unified philosophy linking all skills at Archestral, our Architectural project unit draws strength from listening not only to the individual needs of each client, but also to the contribution of the leaders of each area.

The talent for enlightening intuition is combined with the vocation to outline, right from the outset, a comprehensive picture of the constraints imposed by the coexistence of multiple systems and installations. The efficiency of a straightforward and organic project supports the high aesthetic quality. The certainty of results ensures maximum value for properties.

Stefano Colombo leads this division of Archestral.

The Environment & Safety division manages all aspects of environmental quality and safety. Our unique know-how in environmental restoration is a competitive edge. It underpins the planning and implementation of soil and subsoil remediation, waste management, and emission control activities,as well as the relevant works management. Safety is strictly complementary. It is ensured through an integrated project involving risk prevention, protection of civil or industrial site activity, safety at work, environmental impact, noise and radon detection.

What sets us apart on the market is our ability to work also in this area only with internal resources, avoiding subcontracting or consulting, which could affect the effectiveness and reliability of the intervention. In addition to an all-round advice, in the HSE field we also offertraining activities.

The unit is led by Marco Bonassi.

The Structures division has an in-depth expertise in structural engineering in concrete, steel and other materials, for the residential, industrial, commercial, and hotel sectors; museums, multiplexes and theatres; transport, hydraulic and other infrastructures. Besides technical expertise, this division has a strong disposition to interact with the architectural and systems functions. It organically designs the structures taking into account systems requirements, to avoid making adjustments during the course of the works, which in turn would lead to inconsistencies and vulnerabilities.

The unit also provides specialised advice for the resolution of very specific structural problems, such as those related to wind that were addressed in completing the Allianz and UniCredit skyscrapers in Milan; special seismic issues; and matters related to the structural degradation of concrete.

Claudio Dotti leads this unit.

In the work of the Electrical systems division, multidisciplinarity is a basic requirement. The unit builds all systems — including data transmission, security, fire protection, and sound diffusion systems — combining its inherently cross-divisional attitude with the great ability to coordinate functions that distinguishes Archestral.

In building electrical systems, the clear design and the flawless execution, supported by an indisputable professionalism which has been fine-tuned over many years, harmonize multiple needs: from architectural, budget and risk prevention considerations to the coexistence of different systems. The result is a great ease of management, capable of eliminating problems at their roots.

Carlo Vignali is the leader of this division of Archestral.

Successfully working on air conditioning means to fully respond to clients requirements and to the vision of architects, while complying with strict constraints. This is particularly true for, but not limited to, the works on existing buildings.
Our Mechanical systems division makes its own contribution both to the architectural and to the overall project from the outset, dealing with all the heating and cooling systems requirements beforehand.

It builds on the expertise gained in different, sometimes very demanding, industries such as that of top fashion houses, luxury retail, and highest-end hospitality, that require a design, execution and aesthetic quality with no uncertainty.

Fabio Fumagalli and Mario Marzi lead this unit.

We act with a sober and straightforward plan.
Simplicity and composure unleash creativity. And help to speak clearly: also to our clients.

The method

Simplify
to eliminate problems

At Archestral, a large project is never a complex project. We act as a well-coordinated orchestra also thanks to a simplification-based method. Refined solutions and creativity don’t translate into excessive complexity. As with a building, the supporting structure of a good design intervention is straightforward. It avoids redundancies, and prevents difficulties.

From this comes our fundamental competitive edge. We avoid the logic of pure problem-solving that typically harnesses real estate projects: a cage that limits the space for innovative solutions, inflates costs, and damages results. Simplicity, composure, order, and methodological rigour do not mean applying a single scheme to all commissions. Quite the opposite, they help attaining a clear view, recognizing what makes each project a special case.

Our sober approach to processes is reflected in the way we communicate with our clients. Combined with the ability to establish relationships of trust and to speak frankly, it gives them the certainty of a clear picture. Steps, times, costs, and choices are always verifiable. Accountability for every aspect is our guiding principle.

This starts from our project tables, which are easy to “read” and also represent a commercial tool: banning vagueness, making the basics of our project evident to each stakeholder, we can communicate its full value. At the same time, having a fully comprehensible design language (also at international level) eliminates inefficiencies on the worksite.

Sobriety and transparency not only leave their mark on the aesthetics of buildings, nor are they a simple choice of values: they also support efficiency, and the strong relationship that binds us to our clients.

Integrated architectural design, plant engineering and urban planning. The holistic approach of an authoritative and reliable partner.
360-degree attention and expertise to leverage all value opportunities, including the unexpected ones.

The overall view

An all-round look for
a comprehensive answer

Having a broad vision does not just mean coordinating teamwork well, but also predicting and anticipating. Looking beyond. Focusing on the big picture, not just the details.

We accompany our clients not from the beginning of a project, but from even before that. In a short time, we develop a complete picture. We evaluate a real estate development intervention in every aspect. We analyse its feasibility and sustainability. Our advice highlights all opportunities, identifying even the least obvious ones, and takes into account all the financial, urban planning and regulatory implications. We combine technical expertise with the ability to share the viewpoint of investors. We identify the economic potential of each operation. Over time we have tested an outstanding disposition to manage the relationship with each stakeholder: investors, developers, authorities, technical partners. We understand their perspective and language.

We are aware of the wider implications of our work. Environmental sustainability is not a slogan or a feather in our cap. It is an obligation to which we must respond seriously, on the only possible level: that of design. The most suitable answer also calls into play all the innovative solutions that help limiting the impact on the climate and the environment.