PREMIO RĒGULA in the “Prima di Copertina” category to the building signed by Progetto CMR, future headquarters of L’Oréal Italia at The Sign
The building, new headquarters of L’Oréal Italia at The Sign, designed by Progetto CMR – an Integrated Design Company that celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024 – was awarded the prestigious PREMIO RĒGULA in the “Prima di Copertina” category on Thursday, December 19, in the setting of the Capitoline Hill. This award recognizes only the best Italian architectural, urban planning, infrastructure, and design projects.
The building that will host the future headquarters of L’Oréal Italia, with 9 above-ground floors, completes the urban regeneration project The Sign, designed by Progetto CMR and promoted by Covivio, in the southwest quadrant of Milan. Covering an area that was home to the former Fonderia Vedani until 1997, The Sign is now presented as an innovative business district, already hosting major multinational companies such as Aon and NTT Data, with a wide range of services, including dining options, a square named after Fernanda Pivano (about 4,000 square meters), and spaces designed to enhance the area’s biodiversity.
The buildings of The Sign have already received LEED Platinum certification, and the L’Oréal Italia building, following the model of the first phase of the district, where spaces for butterflies and beehives were created, is set to achieve the BiodiverCity® certification: an international certification that assesses and promotes the importance of biodiversity in real estate projects stemming from urban regeneration initiatives. The Sign is the first development in Italy to achieve this result.
A distinctive feature of The Sign’s architectural concept is the “SIGN”, a thread that visually connects the buildings and public spaces. The sign originates from the flow of pedestrians arriving at the Romolo metro station, crosses the four buildings and the square, and is defined by materials and light traces in the pavement. In the facades, it is reflected in the bright glass curtain wall, interrupted by metal “skin” in varying chromatic tones, which recall and pay homage to the traditional vocation of the Vedani factory, where materials were daily worked, fused, and recycled. In the outdoor spaces, the light-colored stone pavement turns darker, interrupted by a luminous vein created using LED systems. This simple, unique gesture binds the project together, reconnects it to the context, and makes it recognizable.
The prestigious award was presented at the conclusion of an event organized by the cultural association Liber, in collaboration with the publishing house Rde and editor Riccardo Dell’Anna, who will publish the projects in the prestigious volume *100 Italian Projects*.
