Mecanoo pavilion at Salone di Mobile Milan: A Piece of Banyan
Delft, April 2008



Today, April 15th, the Salone del Mobile of Milan begins. This is the International Design Expo of Italy. Mecanoo architecten, directed by Francine Houben, has designed a pavilion for the courtyard of the Università degli Studi in Milan, a beautiful building, formerly a hospital built during the Renaissance. The pavilion is titled A Piece of Banyan and is 20 metres long and 3.5 metres wide. The pavilion refers to Mecanoo’s organic design for the National Performing Arts Center in Taiwan, which is inspired by the indigenous tropical Banyan tree. The Mayor of Milan will preside over the opening of the pavilion. During its construction, A Piece of Banyan was already the public’s favourite.

Laboratory



Mecanoo regards the pavilion as a laboratory and has scaled a section of the National Performing Arts Center to 1:6. Together with the Italian tiles manufacturer, Iris Ceramica, Mecanoo wanted to explore the possibility of whether double bended walls, ceilings and floors could be clad with tiles in craquelé. Because of heavy rains in Milan during construction, the pavilion is partly clad with tiles and partly covered with stucco. The walls and ceilings of the Mecanoo pavilion alter their colour in the evening.



Location: Università degli Studi, Via Festa del Perdono 7, Milan, Italy
Opening: 15 April, 14.30 hours, Aula Magna, Università degli Studi
Design: Mecanoo architecten, Delft, The Netherlands
Execution: Iris Ceramica, Modena, Italy
Light consultant: CWI Lighting Design, Taipei, Taiwan
Dimensions: 20 x 3.5 x h 4.3 m

The pavilion can be seen from 15 April until 1 May 2008

Salone di Mobile Milan pavilion text / images from Mecanoo architecten b.v.



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Salone di Mobile Milan Pavilion - page: adrian welch / isabelle lomholt