Architects and Architecture at Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone

Milan becomes the world capital of architecture during the week of Salone del Mobile. Meetings, initiatives and installations are held all over the city, and people talk about architecture and issues related to the discipline everywhere, even on the tram! “TRAMway TO THE FUTURE – takes the tram to sustainability and innovation” is an initiative implemented by the integrated design company Progetto CRM, founded by architect Massimo Roj. A real ATM tram sets off from the Smart Square installation in Piazza Castello, also designed by Massimo Roj, with researches, sociologists and university professors on board, with whom passengers can discuss issues pertaining to sustainability, innovation and the future. Meetings with architects, with the people who plan the future of our cities and our homes, are definitely the strong point of many of the initiatives at Fuorisalone.

The initial events starting Fuorisalone week included the opening of the second exhibition in The Architects Series, a new exhibition format at SpazioFMGperl'Architettura, the gallery and showroom run by Iris Ceramica and FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti. The special guest of the two Iris Ceramica Group brands was architect Andrew Whalley, Deputy Chairman of the London studio Grimshaw, offering an important opportunity to meet this internationally prominent architect who is currently working on the design of the Sustainability Pavilion for Expo Dubai 2020. The theme chosen by SpazioFMG is in line with the trends registered at this year’s Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone events; another event linked with sustainability and the relationship between design and landscape is “DESIGN for LANDscape, LANDscape Design for People” by the studio LAND. Five projects in five different countries, including Expo 2020 in Dubai and Milan’s Porta Nuova urban regeneration project in Italy, encourage reflection on the themes of sustainability and landscape design in the trade and among the public. In addition to LAND, many other architectural studios will be open to the public during the Salone del Mobile. One Works, for example, has chosen Design Week to inaugurate its new offices in Milan at Via Sciesa 3, a professional studio and creative hub which will host an exhibition about the Urban Design Festival in Singapore during Fuorisalone.

More meetings with architects and architectural studios in the area between Porta Nuova and Porta Volta will be featured in the second edition of iDD Innovation Design District. The entire neighbourhood gets involved in this project, which includes a packed programme of meetings and initiatives focusing on the theme of Common Future. The initiatives include Icon Design Talks at Microsoft House, a formula chosen to trigger debate between the public and key figures in international architecture including: David Adjaye, Joe Gebbia, Guido Canali, Stefano Boeri, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Andrea Boschetti of Metrogramma, Formafantasma, Michael Anastassiades, Stefan Diez, Studio Swine, Konstantin Grcic, Ron Gilad, Giulio Cappellini, Marc Newson, Jasper Morrison and many more. The other initiatives that will bring new life to the district also include the space&interiors exhibition “The future of living and the planet of the future", curated by Stefano Boeri Architetti for Made Eventi.

The dynamic Brera Design District will host futuristic proposals linked with the world of digital design, including cutting-edge projects based on robotic 3D printing, such as the furnishings designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, Ross Lovegrove and Daniel Widrig for Nagami, and installations for a future form of dwelling with a focus on nature, such as those evoked by the installation “agrAir” by Piuarch.

(Agnese Bifulco)

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