Redevelop with an eye to the environment, soften the rationalist lines of the concrete structures by interspersing them with parks and art. The eUrban project, to be found in the Torrino, Castellaccio and Eur districts of Rome, is an example of ARECneprix’s vision as it assists investors guided by ESG principles and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): the creation of value through credit management capable of generating social impact. The intervention included in the masterplan developed by the architect Franco Purini has sparked off an urban regeneration process that allows the area to be seen in a new and pleasant way, thanks also to the collaboration with twelve artists whose works are exhibited en plein air.

EuroHive, offices on a human scale

Work, home and leisure: these are the three spirits living together in harmony in eUrban. The district has long hosted the offices of leading multinational groups such as Eni and Procter & Gamble, standing alongside those of the Ministry of Health and the metropolitan city known as “Roma Capitale”. The new Eurohive rises alongside these: a workplace occupying an area of nineteen thousand square metres intended for companies wishing to have at their disposal a building whose spaces have been redesigned in accordance with the latest trends and which fully responds to the new requirements of hybrid work.

“The office concept has been significantly thought out again over the past few years”, explains Mario Piccione, Head of Commercial Real Estate in ARECneprix. “In EuroHive the employee is put at the centre, with the emphasis placed on well-being during working hours. For example the amenities include a relaxation room, which can be used either for a short break or for carrying out work requiring that extra bit of concentration, the use of stairs is encouraged following the creation of a footpath displaying works of art to give people spending much of their time sitting at desks an incentive to get up and move around, there are open-air workstations available for staff to perform informal work or take a simple break by taking advantage of the green areas that have been created and there is a bistrot, a food service able to meet everyone’s dietary requirements”.

The reasoning behind this is to create liveable communities and not simply workplaces.

As well as having flexible and modular offices, EuroHive also provides facilities such as meeting rooms, an auditorium, sidewalk cafés, outside workstations, inside and outside spaces for events, a shuttle service to and from the EUR Fermi underground station and a bistrot with a food service able to meet everyone’s dietary requirements. All of which is accessible via a dedicated app that makes booking easy. “We are talking about a highly sustainable building that is WELL Gold certified”, Piccione explains, “thanks to the photovoltaic system, the trigeneration plant that serves the district and the BMS system for the optimisation of energy usage”.

Taking a stroll through art

A permanent open-air art exhibition has been set up to make walking more enjoyable, The Walkaround Gallery, which presents reproductions of the works of twelve modern artists: Angelo Azzellini, Enzo Barchi, Kenji De Angelis, Anna Di Paola, Virginio Favale, Mohssen Kasirossafar, Ria Lussi, Patrizio Prunas, Enzo Ragazzini, Lena Salvatori and Dirk Vogel. A harmonic and choral concept conceived as a “public art” installation that weaves its way along the path that can be discovered by strolling around eUrban’s pedestrian zone. “The working environments are enlivened by the energy of the people that frequent them, but it is precisely because they are common spaces that apart from the top managers’ offices they are usually neglected”, stated Ria Lussi, commenting on the project that has seen her involved. The underlying idea of EuroHive, on the other hand, “is to make it possible, in a country where there is an abundance of modern art, to create a virtuous dialogue that enables art to be accessible to everyone”.

Art, nature and didactics

The project wouldn’t be complete without the two green areas: The Moving Forest, the temporary plantation consisting of four hundred trees and eighty shrubs, and The Italian Zen Garden, filled with medicinal plants and an olive tree, set up with the support of the Botanic Garden of Rome and the La Sapienza University. Inspiring the new generations is the best way to build a brighter future: which is why every Thursday in May children from the schools in Rome’s ninth district were accompanied by their teachers on a visit to the two eUrban parks. Behind this was the idea to consolidate artistic and ecological awareness in youngsters and invite them to design their idea of tomorrow.

A fully-designed district that puts the individual at the centre

“The district has been conceived again from the start. It’s much nicer now and more liveable and pleasant, even if you only want to go for a walk. In short, it’s not only a place where you can work well but one where you can also live well, taking into account that the La Vaccheria Museum and the 17 hectares of the Eur-Castellaccio Park have been given back to the city, two of the urbanisation works included in eUrban’s urban planning agreement”, says Piccione. The project, run by SGR Silver Fir Capital with the support of ARECneprix on behalf of the funds of the GWM group”, can, according to the manager, become the trigger for other urban regeneration measures, also in Rome. “There are many opportunities for working on what has already been built by converting the existing buildings, also in central zones, enhancing the value of the local areas, regenerating the social fabric and creating sustainable communities”.