Historical and architectural context ot the art nouveau building
In 1906 Giovanni Rey acquired the palace and in 1907 presented to the municipality of Turin the first Fenoglio’s project for the construction of a big luxurious hotel. The operation was part of the process of urban renewal, that took place in the old medieval centre of Turin at the beginning of 1900. The motivation was the reorganization of hygienic systems and buildings that led to the repossession of the central area of the city by the entrepreneurial middle class. The medieval character was transformed in a liberty and eclectic architectural and city planning key. The building is characterized by a façade with great architectural value with Art Nouveau decorations, such as the beautiful bow windows in the corners. It was one of the first structures built with concrete.
Description of the project designed by Marco Bernini
The project in San Francesco d'Assisi street is a conservative restoration and involves the entire second floor - 700 sqm - 20th century Art Nouveau building, of the architect Pietro Fenoglio. Before the renovation, there were public offices on the floor, but this function was not compatible with the structure of the building. The spaces of the various offices and various superfetations added over the time had completely denied the architectural value of the interiors of one of the first Art Nouveau buildings in Turin. The original big rooms were constructed with an innovative technology using concrete as main structure. The objective of Marco Bernini’s project is to enhance this important structural and architectural characteristic of the building. The project has a strong spatial and architectural meaning, while the interior is designed with a big attention to detail. The spaces were freed and returned to its original size because we wanted to show the beautiful lowered beamed ceilings.
The light becomes again the protagonist and it was amplified by the use of wood floors characterized by white lacquer surface. The functionality of the apartments is guaranteed by "small architectures" into the rooms that contain stores, toilets and closets creating dynamic volumes and articulating the space full of light that is the protagonist of the project. The plasticity of volumes is emphasized by the materials and by the range of colours: black, grey and white; different shades characterized the space that emphasize the artworks, the furniture and the design products that personalized the rooms. In the apartment, where actually is living a nice family, the children’s bedroom is really a particular space: there is an innovative structure of about 12 square meters on the top of the cube/ wardrobe that creates an unexpectedly high space, the kingdom where children dominate their surroundings. A bed and a library as a parapet can transform this space into a protected nest where the imagination reigns.
The loft is accurate in every detail: its metal structure is removable and reversible. The coating is made of MDF which surface has decorations obtained by numerical control machines and covered with a special scratch-resistant lacquer. The stair firmly linked to the internal structure on one of the sides of the cabinet is in metal and looks like a light folded sheet. The retractable doors conceal closets and dressing rooms. The loft has a fully wired technology that is the media centre of the house.
The new apartments needed a new connective common accesses: one entrance intended to ensure the representation without conflicting with the beautiful art nouveau stairs of the palace. It was simply decided to work with the light that, through bright blades, gently illuminates the access ensuring the safety and the functionality of the space.
