Richard Humphreys |
Microsoft House, the new headquarters of Microsoft Italy, has opened its doors in the district of Porta Volta in Milan.
The modern glass building with its sharp angles and innovative use of space is expected to receive more than 200,000 visitors, 10,000 professionals, 4,000 students and 1,000 school principals in its first year alone, highlighting Microsoft’s commitment to open innovation and collaboration with the local community and surrounding environment.
“Microsoft House reflects our mission of helping people and organisations to get more out of digital,” said Carlo Purassanta, CEO of Microsoft Italy. “Located at the heart of Milan, in a dynamic environment easily connected with the rest of Italy, half of the building is open to our ecosystem of customers, consumers, partners, and students as part of the commitment we have undertaken as Microsoft Italy.
“We want Microsoft House to be the new address for innovation in Italy – from large corporations to start-ups, from students to the world of NGOs, and our partners, Microsoft House represents a new place to innovate, collaborate and generate ideas. Only together, can we do great things to grow Italy.”
Microsoft House itself is host to 832 windows, with six floors – three of which are freely open to the city of Milan for use.
A ground floor showroom with a lounge and free Wi-Fi created in collaboration with Intel, allows members of the public to interact and experiment with Microsoft technologies, including 2-in-1 tablets from Asus, Acer, HP and Lenovo, along with a dedicated area for larger workstations.
A total of 13 PC and Xbox One console game stations are also available, allowing members of the public to try out the latest games and take part in Xbox Arena challenges.
The showroom space will also host a variety of workshops conferences and events throughout the year, which can be arranged here.
Microsoft House also has a Digital Classroom area which provides a multimedia environment for students and teachers to take advantage of the latest education technology for idea creation and collaboration.
The first floor houses the Microsoft Technology Centre – an experiential centre designed to make it easier for companies, startups and professionals to share ideas and discuss innovation, with up to 10,000 professionals a year expected to make use of the facilities.
Moving up, the fifth floor is home to The Loft, a private space available for event hosting, while the second, third and fourth floors feature open plan workstations for Microsoft employees, with different areas designed for various different workflows.
These areas include desks and private closed-off structure with sound insulation panels for private work, and transparent nature-inspired spaces surrounded by natural wood and plants designed for open collaboration and brainstorming.
Microsoft House’s opening in Milan follows the completion and opening of the company’s new Munich headquarters, which sprang into life in September 2016.
As with the new Milan office, the German headquarters was designed to not only harness the beauty of architecture, but to provide innovative, ground-breaking environments for employees to work in.
Different zones – designed for individual head-down work, collaboration, presenting and discussion – offer all the tools required for employees to best utilise their time, while a ground-breaking digital chandelier at the heart of the building’s lobby displays a constantly evolving stream of information, drawing eyes – new and old – to the very core of Microsoft’s values.