GSR Cocoa Machinery is a company engaged since 1992 in the production of machinery and accessories for cocoa pressing. It is one of only two companies in Europe and globally operating in this sector. The company manufactures machinery for export to Europe and to cacao-producing regions, such as South America and Asia.
GSR’s expansion process began in 2018 with the acquisition of a disused area in Calolziocorte (LC), formerly the site of the historic Brambilla wire drawing factory. The two buildings of the former factory were connected by an underpass, which was demolished at the start of the project. The project is thus a significant urban redevelopment effort.
Currently, GSR has two locations, both in Calolziocorte. The first site spans 800 square meters, which limits the storage of materials and machinery, often left in consignment with suppliers.
The new operational center in Calolziocorte has a significant visual impact due to the large windows facing the street and the uniqueness of the cladding panels designed by Arch. Maurizio Zambelli and created by Magnetti Building, a leading company from the Bergamo area.
“The idea behind this panel stems from the need to minimize the surface’s simplicity and seek an element that expressed modernization and, above all, was a distinctive feature of a company that employs cutting-edge technologies.” Developing this concept, Arch. Zambelli and Eng. Baschenis, responsible for the structural aspect, designed a customized building that is highly characteristic of this unique type of business.
Light is a recurring theme in the GSR project: large windows, a “shiny” cladding, and an internal macro shed roof.
The choice of windows, based on the designer’s suggestion, was a challenge for the company owners who, before the opening of the new headquarters, had never shown the interior spaces: large, clean spaces in perfect harmony with the order and linearity of the surrounding external areas. A spacious square and well-maintained flowerbeds frame the entire plant.
The selected cladding panels were meant to reflect the uniqueness of the sector in which GSR operates. These panels result from a blend of Carrara marble and transparent glass, approved following a series of tests using gray-white marble and mirrored or colored transparent glass. The cladding gives the building elegance and a “sparkling” effect, which changes depending on the sunlight’s position. In the morning and evening, warm tones dominate, while in the afternoon, the structure takes on cooler, bluish hues. Arch. Zambelli described the study and research phase of the panels created with Magnetti Building as a “fascinating, fun, and culturally enriching” experience.
Internally, the structure features a macro shed roofing system with Tecnoplan beams. This type of roofing ensures uniform daylight illumination and maximizes light orientation within the building.
