Within a so wide area growing over time and transforming itself for the changes of the functional and representativeness needs, we reflected upon and reinterpreted this temporal stratificationat best, by eliminating the dissonant architectural elements, by enhancing the noteworthy ones and by proposing two totally renovated architectures characterized by contemporary and coherent language. The building of the reception is marked by a new “prow-shaped” volume turning to the showroom building; the new volume hosts not only two new meeting rooms on the ground floor and a terrace on the upper one, but it can also “absorb” visually the cumbersome presence of the glass cube of the switchboard. The “prow” is coated with a pre-oxidized copper skin, whose clippings emphasize the vertical rhythm of the main façade; the material is the same as the existing portal, oxidized in natural way over the years. The showroom façade can be seen as a whole, thanks to the demolition of a great and interfering curvilinear wing avoiding the perception. Its simple linearity is emphasized by the pre-oxidized copper sheet coating with vertical shape, as the facing façade of the reception extension; the two renovated buildings are, in this way, more related to each other. A cantilevered roof, coated with copper, highlights the main entrance through which you have access to the full height glass volume, now emphasized after removing superfluous architecture elements and the displacement of the pre-existing stairwell; in this space made of transparency and light, it Is possible to admire the concern history proposed in synthetic and very efficient graphics.
Gruppo Cimbali Showroom
Showroom
Applied products
Project credits
Project data
- Location
- Binasco, Italy | View Map
- Project Year
- 2015
- Category
- Showrooms
- Stories By
- Arkispazio
Flos
Gruppo Cimbali
Applied products
The architect Paolo Balzanelli (Arkispazio) is responsible for this custom-designed showroom. Gruppo Cimbali is located in the city of Milan (Italy) and Flos is the lighting manufacturer. In this space, designed on the basis of transparency and light, it is possible to contemplate a challenging proposal without forgetting efficiency.
In this workplace, taken care of to the last detail, we can find the following luminaires: Light Cut, LightLight® Tube, Light Bell, Circle of Light, Frisbi, Buschfeld Lightlight , Kap Profile and Uso Boob.
Images: © Germano Borrelli
Flos is an international company and brand synonymous with high quality and the ultimate expression of fine design, recognised the world over as a leading in the residential and architectural lighting sector. Established in Merano -northern Italy- in 1962 by Dino Gavina and Cesare Cassina, in 1964 the Gandini family took up the helm and transferred the company’s headquarters to the Brescia area. Right from the outset, Flos commissioned great masters of Italian design to work with the company, such as the Castiglioni brothers -Achille and Pier Giacomo- and Tobia Scarpa. One of the first experimental projects was cocoon, a plastic material made in the U.S. The aim was to create industrial archetypes and ground-breaking products, which soon went on to become design icons, like the Arco floor lamp.
In the late 1980s, the company began its exclusive collaboration with Philippe Starck, an emerging designer on the international scene, who introduced some revolutionary concepts for Italian design. Sergio Gandini’s son Piero was appointed CEO in 1996 and Chairman in 1999. He gave a strong impulse to internationalization and called on other great designers to work with him, including Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni, Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, Ron Gilad, the Bouroullec brothers, Michael Anastassiades, Vincent Van Duysen, Nendo and Formafantasma.
The 1990s saw the development of the contract business area. In response to growing demand for specific solutions addressed to high profile custom lighting projects, the Light Contract division was established in 1996. Recently renamed Flos Bespoke, it represents a standout among the custom lighting companies at a global level.
In the 2000s, the architectural sector was given a strong boost by the acquisition of Antares, a Spanish company specialising in technical lighting. This union of a Spanish manufacturer of professional lighting equipment and an Italian manufacturer of designer lamps for the residential market resulted in the Flos Architectural division, which successfully combines advanced, cutting-edge lighting technologies and unique poetic quality of light.
In November 2014, the entry of the European private equity fund Investindustrial into the Flos’ capital marked the start of a further period of industrial development and international expansion for the company, through both organic growth and selective acquisitions. Flos Group acquired an additional interest of Antares (Flos Architectural), thus taking its share to 100%. In June 2015, Flos acquired Italian architectural outdoor lighting company Ares. The Flos Outdoor division thus became the Group’s fourth production unit, alongside the historical design, architectural and custom products sectors. In November of the same year Flos also acquired NYC-based Lukas Lighting, a company specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of sophisticated custom lighting products. This move was aimed to give a strong boost to the Flos growth in the North American contract market.
In November 2018 Flos, together with B&B Italia, Louis Poulsen and Arclinea, joined The Design Holding, a project arisen from the partnership of investment firms Investindustrial and The Carlyle Group, representing the biggest global high-end interior design group with a European heritage. In June 2019, Roberta Silva was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Flos, to further strengthen the holding’s management teams and to contribute to the growth of the Group.
Flos is today the only company in the lighting field that is able to offer a complete range of fully integrated solutions. It exports to more than 90 countries worldwide and has single-brand stores in Rome, Milan, Paris, New York and Stockholm. The brand’s creations have received numerous international awards and many of them are now featured in the permanent collections of leading international art and design museums.
For further information:
Donatella Matteoni
PR, Events & Cultural Initiatives Manager
+39 02 37011023 - +39 366 6139506 - [email protected]
