Stage one: land acquisition and urban planning definition
Two years of research across several provinces led to the identification of the optimal site in the countryside of Pavia, along the left bank of the Po river. Studio A. Ferraresi – AF Engineering supported the client in negotiations with private landowners for land acquisition and with the municipal administration for the change of use of the land from agricultural to industrial use.
Subsequently, the firm developed a preliminary masterplan aimed at ensuring the flexible expansion of the facility in response to the continuous technical and production evolution of the chemical sector. It also assisted the client in the acquisition of additional land parcels, expanding the campus by a further 200,000 sq m.
Stage two: infrastructure networks
Once the urban planning framework was consolidated, the project moved on to detailed design and the construction of infrastructure systems (road networks, fluid distribution and collection systems), for which Studio A. Ferraresi – AF Engineering carried out structural calculations and construction management. Particularly demanding from a design standpoint was the construction of the discharge system into the riverbed, which required special authorization from the Po River Authority and was installed using the “pipe-jacking” technique, drilling through the bank of the Po. In addition, a system of collection basins was created to delay discharge in the event of exceptional flooding or to contain and filter effluents in case of malfunctions in the production lines.
Stage three: offices, laboratories and production facilities
The network of roads and infrastructure defines a series of square plots in which plants and service buildings are inserted with varying densities, in order to optimize the distribution networks for fluids and electrical energy. Offices, research laboratories, the canteen and changing rooms are located in the northern area of the site, while the operational control centre, thermal power plant and oil storage facilities are located centrally. Production areas include reinforced concrete halls used for warehouses, maintenance and research activities, raw material storage tanks, and the production plants, with large modular steel racks with constant module, for which Studio A. Ferraresi – AF Engineering designed the foundation structures.
Stage four: thermoelectric power station and biofuel area
Among the most recent plant interventions are a biomass-fueled thermoelectric power station and a biofuel production facility commissioned by Oxem, a company within the Oxon Group, for which Andrea Ferraresi designed the structural works. In more recent years, additional structural works have been carried out for new buildings within the plant and for new production installations.
