10 October 2018

Designed by architects Paolo Brescia and Tommaso Principi from OBR, the new restaurant on the terrace of the Palace of Art, with the "Arts & Foods" Hall curated by Germano Celant, is one of the most important initiatives of the Triennale di Milano for Expo 2015. After restoring the roof terrace over the main hall according to the original plans by Giovanni Muzio, Triennale of Milan shows a new dimension of quality catering, prepared by Michelin-starred chef Stefano Cerveni. All of the Milan Triennale exhibition have defined a synthesis between design and architectural experimentation. At such times the Park was transformed into a theatrical platform of new myths for urban living and Muzio's building became an admirable cultural promotion device. The OBR project, winner of the competition organized by Triennale of Milan in January 2014, interprets the tradition with a lightweight, rigorous and dynamic solution. The restaurant is designed as a transparent greenhouse surrounded by greenery and suspended on the Sempione Park, with a spectacular view of the Castello Sforzesco and the entire skyline of Milan. Going up on the terrace of the Palazzo dell'Arte, you are greeted by an aromatic garden designed by landscape architect Antonio Perazzi, behind which the restaurant Glass Pavilion (33 x 5 metres), set back from the façade portals. “Triennale has always been a reference of social and cultural life of Milan. The restaurant like greenhouse suspended between the Park and the city was born from the idea of enhancing the terrace of Palazzo dell'Arte as a place strong urban sociability, evolving sensitive space that works under dynamic exchanges between inside and outside "-Paolo Brescia and Tommaso Principi explain. The Hall, which is completely open on the perimeter, is characterized by a light stainless steel modular structure which allows easy and fast mounting and dismounting directly in situ, combining industrial technology with craftsmanship. The structure design, engineered by Buro Happold and Milan Engineering and built by Capoferri firm, resumes the geometries of historic spans of Muzio. A large 400 square meter mobile tent floats suspended above the Glass Pavilion. Completely open on one side, it runs the Hall like a greenhouse, thermoregulating with different mode day/night and summer/winter bioclimatic use, and allowing guests to dine repaired by the sun or dining under the stars. As a video installation, the curtain suspended on greenhouse comes alive with images and lights designed by Guido Bianchi, referring to events sponsored by Triennale for Expo and providing guests with a unique experience between haute cuisine and design, suspended between the park and the city. The Pavilion is 33 meters long, 4.7 meters wide, 3 meters high and it has an area of about 150 square meters. The architectural design was developed by Paolo Brescia, Tommaso Principi and Andrea Casetto from OBR, with Maddalena D'alfonso, and it involves the construction of a glass Pavilion above the terrace of the Palazzo dell'Arte of Triennale di Milano, recently restored by the architect Alessandro Pedron.

Edoardo Croci

An excerpt of master thesis in Design & Engineering, academic year 2010/2011 by Marta Musitelli School of Design, Politecnico di Milano Speaker: Barbara Prof.ssa Del Curto Co-rapporteur: Prof.ssa MariaPia Pedeferri Sustainable Smart Insulation is the thesis of the research conducted by Marta Musitelli at Politecnico di Milano. The project aims at the development of sustainable and innovative insulating panels, achievable through the use of two components: the cellulose, obtained from recycling waste paper, and Phase Change Materials (or PCMs), substances capable of accumulating and releasing heat on a scheduled basis. Through the mixing of two substances during processing of recovered paper, it was possible to obtain a composite material with an entirely new set of features, which combine the thermal properties of the two components. In the construction field, the PCM is used and studied for several years to improve the capabilities of heat insulation of the walls. Cellulose fibers are used as ecological insulating material. The aim of the research is to get an array of cellulose insulation enriched by thermal properties of PCM and carry out studies and tests to verify its suitability in the context of use. Several ideas for optimizing material properties, such as lightness, mechanical resistance, fire resistance, resistance to water absorption and environmental sustainability, were proposed and tested . The presence of air zones within the structure of a material reduces the density and at the same time improve the insulating properties. In order to achieve a more efficient and lightweight Panel several techniques of inclusion of air inside the new material in waste paper and PCM have been tested, such as:

1. Lyophilization process
2. Proving process
3. Distribution of flakes
4. Shape modeling

An effective method to get air pockets within a structure is lyophilization. A second method is to use leavening agents such as baking soda, able to decompose at high temperatures and to create carbon dioxide particles inside the wet pulp, which during drying in stove increase in volume due to the boiling water. The addition of sodium bicarbonate in various quantities gives different results: the Panel made with 30% of baking shows a significant increase compared to the panel thickness without additives; the Panel with 50% of baking shows a thickness increase further compared with the previous coming to be about double the Panel without additives. A third method is to get a get a lightweight structure through the layering of cellulose flakes obtained by grinding. This method allows you to obtain lightness thanks to the air that is trapped between disordered fibers, but it is not suitable for use in the construction field because it is not workable and mechanically resistant.

13 Jenuary 2019

The purpose of the Design Hub is to provide accommodation in one building for a diverse range of design research and post graduate education. The Hub provides a collegial research base where post graduates in fields such as fabric and fashion design will work alongside those involved in architecture, aeronautical engineering, industrial design, landscape architecture, urban design and so on.

Research groups have the ability to locate and fine tune their accommodation within ‘warehouses’ – open plan spaces where research teams can set up and tailor their work environment to suit their particular needs. Teams may stay for anywhere from six months to three years depending on the nature of and funding limits to their research and education programs. Research may include the need for workshops to make physical models to be located alongside computer studios, three dimensional printing, virtual reality modelling and so on. Given the time frames associated with research projects all the warehouses require a high level of adaptability and flexibility. In that sense these spaces are designed to accommodate the organic nature of research – ever evolving, adapting, changing and growing. The plan of the Hub acknowledges the desire for incidental cross pollination where researchers from one field encounter those from completely unrelated other fields as part of their day to day use of the building. An exhibition space and design archive provide a public interface with both industry and research outcomes. These spaces combined with a variety of lecture, seminar and multi purpose rooms facilitate high level exchanges in a number of forums.

The Hub has a large number of ESD features and incorporates strategies of water, waste and recycling management that are the equal of any ESD focussed building on the planet. In particular the outer skin of the Hub incorporates automated sunshading that includes photovoltaic cells, evaporative cooling and fresh air intakes that improve the internal air quality and reduce running costs. The cells have been designed so that they can be easily replaced as research into solar energyresults in improved technology and part of the northern façade is actually dedicated to ongoing research into solar cells to be conducted jointly by industry and RMIT. The entire building façade, in other words, has the capacity to be upgraded as solar technology evolves and may one day generate enough electricity to run the whole building. The façade comprises a specifically detailed double glazed inner skin on each face of the building and an automated operable second skin shading device. The second skin shading device surrounds the entire building, from the ground floor to the roof plant level. It is made up of nominally 600 mm diameter sandblasted glass disks, which are fixed to either a horizontal or vertical aluminium axel. Each axel is fixed to the outer face of a galvanised steel cylinder of a slightly greater diameter and nominally 130 mm in depth. 21 glass discs and steel cylinders are fixed together in panels of nominally 1.8 m by 4.2 m, which are supported on a secondary galvanised steel frame set out about 700 mm from the curtain wall face of the building. These are accessed by an external service walkway on each level.

Each typical panel is made up of 12 operable glass discs and 9 discs which are fixed. At the ground and plant room levels all glass disks will be fixed. There are 86 panels on each level and therefore 774 panels for the nine levels of the building. Perimeter air intakes and fine mist sprinklers incorporated into the double glazed inner skin provide passive cooling to the UFAD system. The water used in this ‘Coolgardie safe’ system is harvested from the roof. Fresh naturally cooled air provides a less expensive, lower energy consumption and more desirable thermal comfort alternative to a wholly conditioned work environment.   Credits: www.seangodsell.com RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, by Sean Godsell Material: Frosted glass,  Low-E insulating glass, steel profiles and galvanized steel Application: Envelope Area: 13,000 sqm Completed: 2012 Figures: © Earl Carter (Fabiana Cambiaso – Università La Sapienza Roma).

Marco Mignatti

11 February 2019

Palazzos Centenary Square, the largest public square in the heart of Birmingham, currently lacks cohesion or a clear identity or atmosphere. Mecanoo's design transforms the square into one with three distinct realms: monumental, cultural and entertainment. These palazzos form an urban narrative of important periods in the history of the city; The Repertory Theatre (REP), a 1960s concrete building, the Library of Birmingham, designed in 2009 and Baskerville House, a listed sandstone building designed in 1936. The busiest pedestrian route in the city, what Mecanoo calls the red line, leads pedestrians into Centenary Square. The cantilever of the library is not only a large canopy that provides shelter at the common entrance of the Library of Birmingham and the REP, but additionally forms a grand city balcony with views of the events and happenings on the square. The Library of Birmingham is a transparent glass building. Its delicate filigree skin is inspired by the artisan tradition of this once industrial city. Elevators and escalators dynamically placed in the heart of the library forms connections between the eight circular spaces within the building. These rotundas play an important role not only in the routing through the library but also provide natural light and ventilation. The rooftop rotunda houses the Shakespeare Memorial Room, designed in 1882. This Victorian reading room is lined with wood from the first Birmingham Central Library. Its prominent position as a rooftop aerie makes this delicate room visible from the square. The REP with its unique and beautiful auditorium will be renovated. New workshops, staff accommodations and a shared theatre and foyer space will be created for both the REP and the library. Sustainability The Library of Birmingham is a BREEAM excellent rated building and incorporates grey water systems and ground source heat pumps. Although the Library is a transparent building, it maintains energy efficiency through the buffering capacity of the building mass and the atria. Sun shading and reflective materials within the facades block the harsh rays of the sun during the height of afternoon while allowing natural daylight into the interiors. The ground floor benefits from the mass of the soil which provides buffering and insulation. The circular patio cut out of the square creates a protected outdoor space and invites daylight deep into the building. The building will incorporate a mixed mode and natural ventilation strategy. The façade will respond to external conditions and openings will allow fresh air intake and outflow. The addition of soft landscaped roof spaces will further enhance the immediate surrounding conditions. (Fabiana Cambiaso, Università La Sapienza Roma) Credits: www.mecanoo.nl   Library of Birmingham -  Mecanoo Architects Site: 309 Broad Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK Completed: 2013 Materials: Glass, Metal Cladding Applications: Envelope, Photos: © Christian Richters.

Carlo Bardelli    

16 January 2019

From now until winter 2016, visitors to New York’s Madison Square Park can find themselves enveloped beneath a mirrored labyrinth, hovering above both them and the surrounding landscape. Madison Square Art presents ‘Fata Morgana’ by american artist Teresita Fernández, a 500-foot-long sculpture comprising mirror-polished discs that create kaleidoscopic canopies above the park’s central pathways and recreational areas. ‘My concept was to invert the traditional notion of outdoor sculpture by addressing all of the active walkways of the park rather than setting down a sculptural element in the park’s center’, Fernández describes ‘By hovering over the park in a horizontal band, Fata Morgana becomes a ghost-like, sculptural, luminous mirage that both distorts the landscape and radiates golden light.’ A Fata Morgana is an optical phenomenon that forms across the horizon line, distorting objects in the distance — boats, islands, and the coastline — such that they become completely unrecognizable to the human eye. Alluding to this rare occurrence, Fernández’s sculpture introduces a visual, shimmering element to the park that engages visitors in a dynamic experience and warps the landscape surrounding them. Each of the suspended mirrors are perforated with intricate patterns reminiscent of foliage, referring to madison square park’s botanical resources. As sunlight filters through, abstract flickering effects sift through the horizontal metal forms, casting a golden glow across the expanse of the work, paths, and passersby.  

Marco Mignatti

25 Ottobre 2018

Corten steel plate turns into a scenic backdrop, so the façade of Palazzo "Campiello" in Vigonovo becomes a book. 190 panels cover an area of over 300 square meters and they give life to a lettering work: 15,000 letters and symbols make up words and phrases that, like carved on a piece of paper, reconstruct the memory of what has been lost forever.

The corten not only makes installation be unique and particular, but it has an important feature too. This material resists corrosion from weathering: the natural oxidation with time stops since it forms a protective patina.

With this technique, it was possible to exploit the old façade. And also: the oxidized colour appears warm and intense as to emphasize the experience of the building. The collaboration with sculptor Giorgio Milani and Philippe Daverio made the work be unique. The end result, full of meaning, is an words’ embroidery that create a plot reminiscent of the old "skin" of the building, the surface degradation that time drew.

This installation is signed by Italian 3NDY firm.   www.3ndystudio.it www.giorgiomilani.com  

Carlo Bardelli