Glass Cube for Molteni&C in Giussano, Milan Exhibition Building, Italian Architecture, Images, Design
Glass Cube in Giussano, Italy
Gallery, Showroom Development, Italy – design by Ron Gilad
26 Nov 2014
Glass Cube in Giussano
Location: Giussano, Italy
Design: Ron Gilad
A gallery, a showroom, a space that conveys the Molteni identity. Molteni&C commissioned Ron Gilad to design theGlass Cube, in its production unit in Giussano. An existing building, to be transformed.
The result is a 400-sq m exhibition space, made up of void, glass and surprise installations. In the centre, a stretch of water reflects the creation of an object, with Nature taking part in the process, amid sky and clouds.
Gilad reinterprets the distinguishing themes of Molteni’s corporate identity: the materials – first and foremost wood – quality, experience, technology, industry and craftsmanship, their products and collections. He experiments with new possibilities, observes, like an entomologist at his microscope, deconstructing into fragments in order to focus on the details.
In the white, minimal space of the Glass Cube, the huge doors and infinite teak walls are monumental, allowing visitors to admire the veins of the living material.
A white box, devoid of partitions, because it’s the objects contained within that create their space, that influence its nature and quality. Here Ron Gilad’s ironic and provocative vision focuses on both timeless classics and contemporary items, and he reinterprets them, manipulating forms and functions.
A sofa? Yes, but plunging into the space from the ceiling, for an alternative view of reality. A Gio Ponti chest of drawers? Yes, but sliced in half, like Damien Hirst’s dissected cow, to discover how it is made and reveal its technological core.
Everything is geared to surprise and intrigue. Piroscafo, designed by Luca Meda and Aldo Rossi, becomes a ship with a warm red centre, like Carteggio’s colourful drawer, which is mirrored in its double and, free in space, becomes a sculpture-cum-totem. The storage units and shelves designed by Gilad are composed geometrically, Donald Judd-style
The heart of the project is a Wunderkammer, where reality and fantasy chase each other and come together, via the multimedia technology of 3D mapping projections, in a site-specific sound setting, composed by Fabrizio Campanelli and performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.
On the subject of Glass Cube, Ron Gilad says: “It is a great honour for me to work with Molteni&C, who gave me free rein to experiment, to explore their realm in an unorthodox way, to keep the culture of design evolving”.
The laboratories show technological language by using high-tech materials: metal, glass, plants.
Glass Cube in Giussano, Italy images / information from Ron Gilad
Location: Giussano, Italy
Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy
Milan Architecture
Contemporary Milanese Architecture
Milan Building Designs – chronological list
Milan Architecture Tours – city walks by e-architect
Milan Architects Offices – architectural firm contact details on e-architect
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Milan Office Building
Tortona 37
Matteo Thun & Partners
Tortona 37
Milano Santa Giulia : Masterplan / Housing
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Website : Ron Gilad
