Work is currently underway on a new dining hall by Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) that's designed to blend into the picturesque Italian landscape. Named Mutti Canteen, the building will be partly sunk into the ground and topped by a green roof made using the compacted soil that will be removed from the site during the build process.
Mutti Canteen will be located in the town of Montechiarugolo, near Parma in northern Italy, and is part of a larger headquarters development for tomato firm Mutti that also includes an upcoming factory that incorporates recycled tomato jars into its facade, as well as an enviable farmhouse-style residence for its CEO with a tree at its center.
The dining hall will be open both to the company's employees and to the general public. An old tavern already on the site will also be refurbished as part of the project and will serve as a nearby kitchen. Extensive landscaping will surround the dining hall and will be handled by Paolo Pejrone.
"Sitting in the recessed glass structure, diners will be fully immersed in vegetation, eating at the same level of the exterior meadow," explained CRA. "Designed by CRA in collaboration with Creative Lead Italo Rota, the project is developed for Mutti, Europe's leading producer of high-end tomato products. The canteen, a spacious, luminous piece of architecture created directly from nature, will serve factory workers and external diners alike, and will be run by a culinary team known for its Michelin-starred restaurants."
The building's green roof will help insulate it from heat and cold, while generous glazing will maximize natural light inside, reducing electric lighting needs. In a nice touch, CRA also told us that leftover tomato peel from the nearby tomato factory will be put to use inside the dining hall too. The peel will be dried and turned into a resin then used to create the floor. The firm did something very similar for its recent nautical pavilion in Dubai, which used coffee grounds and orange peels for pathways.
Construction work on Mutti Canteen is currently well underway and the project is expected to be completed and open to the public sometime in 2023.
Source: CRA