Parmigiano Reggiano
Cheese Factory
Location: Fratelli Branca Distillerie srl, Milan, Italy
When: Winter, 2022
Supervisor: o. Univ. Prof. Greg Lynn, Maja Ozvaldic, Bence Pap, Kaiho Yu
In collaboration with: Sepideh Sarpishehgi, Markus Lagler
The project aims to create a garden-like viewing experience for visitors at varying distances and heights by embedding a visitor path using Mocap technology, seamlessly integrating it with the cheese-making process. This approach fosters a connection with the city while encouraging interactions among people, the street, and the surrounding environment.
Landscape staircases guide pedestrians to an open-air atrium featuring four "screens" that showcase the overall production atmosphere. These screens serve as circulation cores, linking each production room. Simultaneously, the ground floor is transformed into a vibrant public landscape.
The visiting paths encircle or penetrate each room to form the Poche Loop, a pathway recessed or protruding based on the layout of the workstations. This design creates three distinct spatial typologies: Path, Island, and Shop Window. Visitors can observe Cheese Wheels being transported to the storage tower as they walk, marvel at the Salting Bath and dancing machinery in the island theater above, and seamlessly shift their perspectives between various shop windows.
Externally, Open Voids are integrated into the façade to allow natural light into the building while offering glimpses of the interior to the city, further enhancing the project's connection with its urban surroundings.
Utilized motion capture and space scanning to simulate and analyze user activities and architectural ergonomics
Production Phase: Coagulation
Time: 10:32am - 11:48am
Achievement: 86%
Worker Number: 8
Max Visitor Number: 10
Best View Point: 3
Best View Angle: 64° - 156°
Time: 10:32am - 11:48am
Achievement: 86%
Worker Number: 8
Max Visitor Number: 10
Best View Point: 3
Best View Angle: 64° - 156°
The design workflow begins with an analysis of users' movements, serving as the foundation for developing spatial ergonomics. Subsequently, spatial fragments aligned with collective behaviors are crafted and ultimately integrated into a cohesive narrative.
Void as Display
The substracted void spaces can be served as the gathering area for workers and the display interface to show the interior activities.
Integrated Circulation
The various experiences of viewing cheese making are integrated into the continuous narratives.
Smooth Workflow
Workers are operating in separated area without interruption by each other and forming different display stages to show working motions.
Event Space Next to Salting Room
At 1:38 p.m., people who had finished their visiting journey gathered here to taste the delicious Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, while communicating with the workers. Moulding Hall
Visitors can learn how broken pieces of cheese are molded into wholes up close and personal. The design showcases the moulding gesture ballet from multiple perspectives by controlling the size and depth of the apertures and the viewing angle. Aging Room
This room converts the constraints of the physical environment (lighting, humidity) in which the cheese wheel is stored and aged into a unique visiting experience . A floating bridge allows the visitors to move between the different aging shelves.
The substracted void spaces can be served as the gathering area for workers and the display interface to show the interior activities.
Integrated Circulation
The various experiences of viewing cheese making are integrated into the continuous narratives.
Smooth Workflow
Workers are operating in separated area without interruption by each other and forming different display stages to show working motions.
At 1:38 p.m., people who had finished their visiting journey gathered here to taste the delicious Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, while communicating with the workers.
Visitors can learn how broken pieces of cheese are molded into wholes up close and personal. The design showcases the moulding gesture ballet from multiple perspectives by controlling the size and depth of the apertures and the viewing angle.
This room converts the constraints of the physical environment (lighting, humidity) in which the cheese wheel is stored and aged into a unique visiting experience . A floating bridge allows the visitors to move between the different aging shelves.