Centro delle Professioni, the main portal of Kilometro Rosso

Centro delle Professioni is the main portal of Kilometro Rosso, as well as a place where the research ideas developed in the campus are discussed. Therefore, support activities and services are located here, as well as restaurants, meeting and conference rooms and administration offices. The building, which continues seamlessly into the red wall, is crossed by a wide longitudinal pedestrian area lit by big zenithal skylights and leads to a spacious glass-windowed hall facing the Park. Besides acting as a junction, this sort of rue intérieure welcomes visitors coming from the car park through the big portal carved into the red wall, as Nouvel had imagined it. The indoor public spaces are floored with limestone slabs, a refined material which is also partially found on the pavements stretching out to the Park. Except for the hall’s glass surface, the external façades are covered with a sophisticated system of plates in micro-perforated steel and cultured stone. The importance given to energy saving translates into a lower environmental impact for the building: the project for the façade projections and ventilation systems and the high level of insulation contribute to a cutting-edge sustainability profile marked with energy class A (Italian Decree Law No 192/05). The energy performance will be constantly monitored by the University of Bergamo and the Politecnico di Bari.