The long, narrow shape of the lot and the volume of the pre-existing building have led to a compositional solution involving three parallel buildings. The building on Viale Piave and the one farther back rise seven floors above ground. The central body, connected to the rest of the construction by means of a system of stairs and skyways, has three floors and is suspended over a body that connects the three buildings, perpendicular to Viale Piave and rising four floors above ground. This way a large, deep inner courtyard is created, overlooked by all the buildings.
The complex structure of the building reflects the variety of uses of the spaces, with offices, areas for receiving guests and entertainment and coordination areas for the preparation of fashion shows located on various floors, and with common areas and meeting rooms on the ground floor, opening onto the courtyard.
The style used for the front on the street, which conveys a sense of transparency and lightness through the use of glass and metal, contrasts with the more austere style of the interior façades.
At the Architecture Biennale Cino Zucchi chooses two Piuarch projects for the INNESTI/GRAFTING show
INNESTI/GRAFTING is the title that Cino Zucchi – curator of the Italy Pavilion for the 2014 Architecture Biennale – has chosen for developing the theme suggested by Rem Koolhaas for the national pavilions, “Absorbing Modernity 1914-2014.”
Under the section titled “A Contemporary Landscape,” Zucchi has selected two recent works by Piuarch, both of which are significant in regard to the overall theme of grafting: architecture placed in its original setting. Both express Piuarch’s ability to understand the previous historical and cultural context and to propose a vision of the project that is both modern and harmonious.
The two projects selected by Zucchi are: the Quattro Corti Business Center in St. Petersburg and the Dolce&Gabbana office building on Viale Piave in Milan.
The selection is a matter of great satisfaction for Piuarch, arriving in the very year in which the firm has been awarded the Italian Architect prize by the National Order of Architects.
It is a confirmation of the path of excellence the firm has followed in its 16 years of activity, which have had as a constant the capacity to understand and interpret the historical, social, cultural, architectural settings in which the architects were working. The result of this “attitude” is not a univocal style, but rather the ability to create value within the originality of the results.
