Member in the spotlight: S2C S.p.A Incorporating sustainability and ESG in new constructions

An interview with Antoine Ninu and Andre Straja

S2C S.p.A. is an Italian insurance company that operates exclusively in the surety market as an alternative to domestic multi-line insurers. S2C has been active since 2010 and has been a member of ICISA since 2016. Early last year, S2C announced the construction of a new headquarters in Milan, a pioneering office building in Italy and Europe, which incorporates sustainability and ESG, and aims to produce more energy than it consumes. Altogether, it is an example of innovative and cutting-edge architecture, under the name of “S2C Tower”. Construction is expected to complete in December of this year.

Antoine Ninu, Executive Director of S2C spoke with the ICISA Insider to elaborate on their ESG and sustainability commitments. Andre Straja, architect at GaS Studio, the competition winning architect for the new building, also gave some details on the project and some of the inspirations behind this design.

Asked about the importance of sustainability for his company, Antoine emphasises that at S2C everyone brings their own contribution to sustainability, according to their roles and responsibilities. He continues: “Sustainability represents for us an essential aspect and an opportunity to characterise and represent the values of our company: ethics, transparency, respect for the environment and for people. The new office building in Milan reflects these values entirely: we decided to obtain the highest certifications of sustainability (which includes LEED, WELL and WIREDSCORE), dedicating a substantial investment”. Antoine continued, saying that:

“this investment for a highly sustainable office building naturally led to the use of photovoltaic panels, geothermal energy, rainwater recovery and reduction of our carbon footprint.”

When it comes to ESG, Antoine reflects on S2C’s role in caring for the environment, but also on their role as a company to create a pleasant and safe workspace for their team: “S2C Tower should be a place where people like to spend their time and where their health is considered and they are respected. For us, this meant receiving the WELL certification, which is a certificate for buildings that sponsor the comfort and the well-being of people and their health. Similarly, the WIREDSCORE certification confirms the digital connectivity of our building.”

Speaking of green projects sponsored by S2C, Antoine mentions two large construction projects in Rome which, “contribute to the sustainability through “urban regeneration” and renovation of listed historic buildings”.

Regarding the original request, Andre Straja reflects on the first contact with S2C: “GaS Studio was approached by S2C and invited to a private competition three years ago. The brief was simple: take a small 3 storey building and transform it into a headquarters for a small but growing insurance company. The term “iconic” was used, which at first seemed contradictory given the modest size of the existing conditions. Our proposal consisted in the search for a “big Idea” that combined both corporate and social values expressed in a bold way while taking maximum advantage of Milan’s urban regulations: We proposed what we believe will be the first multi-storey heavy timber column/beam building in Italy. And fortunately, with this idea, we won!

So, what was this winning idea?

“A wooden ship in a glass bottle” with a special message inside: respect and attention for the future of our planet. A faceted glass envelope over a wooden structure entirely visible from the outside. The result is an iconic and recognisable architectural object, unique in its geometry and construction philosophy.”

For Andre, attention for the environment is reflected in the structure of the building, together with the technology used and multiple ways to save resources:

“Clearly choosing a predominantly wood structure for a multistorey office building is a bold move, unique in Italy and perhaps the forbearer of future construction for office buildings in Europe. The project integrates Geothermal technology, high efficiency heat pumps and photovoltaic panels as well as a green house allowing increased rainwater permeability. Rain water is also collected for irrigation of green areas located in the Parc, greenhouse, terrace and roof deck. Triple glazing is used throughout for minimum solar gain while preserving maximum transparency.”

The future S2C headquarters has already won one international prize: The Plan Award 2022.

As Andre elaborates: “S2C Tower, has been in the public eye for a relatively short period of time and is currently under construction, and yet has already won a prestigious international prize: The Plan Award 2022 for the future office building category. This prize considered 1200 finalist projects in 20 categories and included noted designers.”

Looking at the future, but also at what ICISA members can do in their own businesses to become more sustainable, Antoine reminds us about the possibility that insurers have, “to speed up some processes which could be an added value for the entire supply chain”.

Certainly a good piece of advice, at a time when we are reminded that the time to act and prevent the worst impacts of climate change is already well upon us.

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