Corian Lounge, Milan, Italy : Information + Images

Corian Lounge Award 11 Nov 2009 Amanda Levete Architects wins interiors prize with Corian showroom photo : Marcus Peel Photography Amanda Levete Architects, based in London, has won the Interiors and Fit-Out Prize, awarded at WAF for the first time. The win is for the Corian Super-Surfaces Showroom in Milan. The jury, chaired by Lorenzo Apicella, wrote: ´What made this project exceptional is that it methodically explored a familiar material that is loved, but perhaps not fully understood by most designers that use it, ´ ´Here the architect has pushed the boundaries of what this material can do in both form and structure. In many ways they have recast the possibilities Corian affords the designer. We see Corian as a poetic and sensual material as much as a practical and utilitarian one. photos : Marcus Peel Photography ´This is the designer as inventor, craftsman and scenographer. They have made a beautiful and complex space without the feeling that a material has been misused. For an environment made entirely of a composite it feels both light and natural. Lighting was made integral to the displays, animating both space and product. Colour was also used expressively, woven into walls, shelves, tables and seating to create a sensuous interior envelope. ´Transforming standard existing panel products, the architect has demonstrated how to achieve a visually rich space with an economy of material and means.´ Previously Corian Lounge, Milan Amanda Levete Architects photos : LeoTorri_DuPont_Corian The lounge is a loosely defined architectural concept about a space that is animated by the movement of people in transit. A drop of water creating a series of ripples became our metaphor for transforming space through movement. Just as the ripple causes intricate moiré patterns in water, the Corian lounge installation is about revealing the moment of change through visual complexity. With the repetition of identical elements that have been physically transformed, a frozen moment is captured through a sequence of dynamic surfaces creating kinetic visual effects. More than just an expression of the material, the surface transformations push the technical possibilities of DuPont™ Corian® by exploiting its pliability and using the twisted geometry of the sheets to bring structural integrity. Advanced digital technology was used as part of the process for generating the design as well as for the fabrication of the installation. The lighting is designed to emphasise both the voids and the visual movement of the piece. photos : LeoTorri_DuPont_Corian Corian Lounge - Credits AL_A Design Team: Amanda Levete, Alvin Huang, Bruce Davison - Project Leader, Alex Bulygin, Chiara Ferrari, Filippo Previtali Collaborators: Margaritelli / Listone Giordano® + Isometrix Lighting Design Nemo divisione luci di Cassina + molo + Hasenkopf + Esarc Hi-tech