Colours and microgardens
The New Assembly Lines occupies over 21,000 sq m, divided into the assembly lines (on two levels) of the 8 and 12 cylinder cars, test area,prototype development facility, offices, meeting room and relaxation areas. Designed by Comau with pincers to hold the cars, the carousel is ergonomically advanced:it places the car at the best height for the worker, rotating it to allow access to its underside.
Conceived by Jean Nouvel as an extension to the existing building for the assembly of the 8 and 12 cylinder cars, the Nuove Linee di Montaggio (New Assembly Lines) is the most recent addition to the Ferrari plant. In order to affirm the industrial neo-humanism of the "Formula Uomo" programme, which combines technological excellence with superb craftsmanship, the French architect has reinterpreted a number of the typical elements of his vocabulary: transparency and brightness obtained thanks to the roof made of reflective plates and large skylights.
In the centre of the building, the plates bear the Ferrari Prancing Horse symbol, which is clearly visible from floor level.
A red fence marks the interior of the project area. The building's external shell is faced with reflective fretted stainless-steel sheet that is intended to mirror the ever-changing interplay of colours outside the building.
The green factor: in the interior, microgardens forming a plant filter between the old and the new buildings serve also to absorb noise. From the outside the building seems to be rooted in a green platform formed according to the principles of spontaneity of Gilles Clément's Third landscape.