The Produce Market
Genoa’s Produce Market measures a total of 82,000 sqm, including 32,000 of indoor space. The 23,150 sqm produce pavilion is the core of the facility, containing 56 modules occupied by wholesalers, with 188 loading and unloading bays. The interior of the market is a huge rectangular gallery lined by dealers’ stands.
Dealers rent modular stands of different sizes; the minimum size is a single module measuring 7 by 21 metres.The dealers themselves set up their stands to suit their requirements; every stand has scales, refrigerating cells and a cashier’s box.
Each basic module has two external bays to speedup loading and unloading of trucks, while the area in front of each stand includes a marked space where each wholesaler may display goods for buyers.
Goods are handled within the marketby a porterage cooperative providing a centralised logistics service with modern equipment.
The dealers’ administrative offices open onto a walkway on the upper level; the spaces are designed so that each dealer’s office is right over the corresponding stand on the ground floor.
The glass and steelroof of the market,designed by Massimo Majowiecki,has a steel frame with bracesreleasing the weight of the structure onto the bodies at the sides: enormous steel arms support the roof, with a skylight in the centre to letin plenty of light and fresh air while leaving the centre of the market free, as it does not require supporting pillars.
At the southern and northern ends of the building are areas for operating the lift trucks that transport loads inside and outside the market.
At the entrance to the structure, by the five access points, is a 150 sqm gatehouse in a building which also contains an office of the municipal police force, open to the public. On the southern side of the produce market is a 570 sqm former industrial building, also used for logistics purposes.
To the west of the market is the logistics platform, on a lot measuring more than 9,000 sqm. The ground floor is almost entirely occupied by refrigerated storage units, forming a large loading and storage area where logistics, processing and storage operations take place.
The first floor contains offices, served by two staircase and elevator blocks.