It’s still early to book a flight to Barcelona (you have time until next November), but in case you have what it takes you can already apply as a speaker for the next World Architecture Festival, in the most architecturally vibrant city in Spain. WAF is a festival where architects from all over the world meet, lots of awards are given and companies can also promote their products. Interactivity is one of the key factors the organizers highlight on their website.

You can download the post event report here.

Costruire Secondo Natura

Projects by
ecoLogicStudio – deamicisarchitetti con porfiristudio – tamassociati – Iosa Ghini Associati

a cura di Luca Molinari and Simona Galateo

SpazioFMG per l’Architettura
Via Bergognone 27, Milan
march, 16- aprile, 2,  2010
tuesday – saturday h 3 – 8 pm
free entrance
Info: t. 02 89410320

If you’re looking for something outside of the mainstream galleries and traditional art locations, you can visit “foresta nascosta” (“Hidden Forest”), the gorgeous public temporary museum created by Matteo Balduzzi, Daniele Cologna and Stefano Laffi in order to make the suburban neighbourhood of San Giuliano Milanese narrate its stories. I can tell you with a certain mastery – part of my family lives in San Giuliano Milanese – that this location, developed as a residential neigbourhood between the countryside and industrial areas in the Second Postwar, is not among Milan’s most charming outskirts. That’s why I’m so glad about this initiative and I think it must have been welcomed and meaningful to its audience.
The concept of Hidden Forest derives from the dormitory town trend, involves citizens to be curators of their own heritage and displays a research for collective memory.

The result is a gallery of flashbacks, images and stories, all deep-rooted in the territory; they mediate something which could definetely go global for its intrinsic simplicity.
foresta nascosta is a pilot project by the provincial government to experience a temporary museum inside two well-identifiable containers located in two different areas of San Giuliano.
A group of young local people have acted as story-collectors, gathering images, interviews and witnesses which have been newly recorded on contemporary media (Epson, among the partners, has supplied the technology to place all materials on files and print all images). Furthermore, partners on the territory such as libraries, private and local press have given a big support while privare stories have been published and gained a joint transgenerational value.

Check out foresta nascosta’s original web site for futher information on the project and the stories collected

foresta nascosta is a project by Matteo Balduzzi, Daniele Cologna and Stefano Laffi
Coordinator: Daniele Guadalupi
Story-collectors: Gianluca Adamoli, Marta Cagnetti, Gabriele, Clemente, Giulia Evangelista, Matteo Giammalva, Daniele Grotto, Maurizio Loddo, Stefania Natale, Elisa Soffi entini, Andrea Vecchione
Website: Diego Ronzio
Electric installation: DLF, Sant’Angelo Lodigiano
Crane truck: Ceresa trasporti, Lodi
Sticky graphics: Grafi c House Sant’Angelo Lodigiano
Realized by: Codici sc, Milano, Sintassi sas, Milano, Foresta Nascosta
© 2009 Matteo Balduzzi Daniele Cologna Stefano Laffi, all rights reserved
Texts © original authors
Photos © original authors

(By Angelica Di Virgilio)

© Lucboegly.com – droits réservés

Image by www.lan-paris.com ©Undo-redo.com

ONE, THREE, A HUNDRED THOUSANDS

Welcome to Saint Mesmes is an architecture book. But not just that.
It’s the analysis of LAN’s design strategy, which accoring to Manuel Oranzi’s text is built on the “experience/reflection” dichotomy. But it’s not just that either.
It’s the poetic description of the new Marchesini building in France, imposing itself with strenght and arrogance in Saint Mesmes’ rural landscape. It’s the vision photographers Jean-Marie Monthiers and Luc Boegly have of this architecture. It’s the dialogue between a landscape that transforms with seasons and a black object, hard to nail down with a definition (“Is it a box or a chipped stone?”, Carine Merlino is wondering).
It’s a tale of a building process. It’s the face and name of the workers who built it.
It’s a flip book. But not just that. Because “Welcome to Saint Mesmes” is ONE. It’s THREE. It’s a HUNDRED THOUSANDS.

Image by www.lan-paris.com ©Undo-redo.com

One because it’s one of a kind, original for LAN’s concept and Undo-Redo’s graphic design. It’s three because it’s physically composed by three books (plus a poster). The main one is a critical and photographic description of LAN’s architecture; the second, conceived as a flip book, shows the construction phases of the building; the last one is a portrait collection by Pierre Sponchiado and Benoit Linero, depicting the phases of the actors involved – from workers to structural engineers, from carpenters to supervisors. The absence of Umberto Napolitano and Benoit Jailion, the architects themselves, is emblematic: they seem to have made one step back, away from the limelight, to expose those elements and those people that too often remain in the shadow of the finished work. In a similar way the building is not shown on the cover, where the landscape it faces is portrayed instead.

Images from Book 2. Photo credits: LAN architecture

Images from Book 3. Photo credits Pierre Sponchiado

Architecture is behind us. To see it we only need to turn around. We only need to immerse ourselves in this box, leafing through it.
In this action its variety is unveiled. Its being a hundred thousand. The visions you can have of this book are manifold. There is no right way. Not a direction. The numbers marking the different sections are purely indicative. The reading order is free and casual. Everybody is building their own path, speed and direction (left/right, up or down all become irrelevant).
The result is a composite book, representing a unique experience. Architecture. Its essence.

Image by Book 1. Photo credits: Luc Boegly

Image by Book 1. Photo credits: Luc Boegly

Title: Welcome to Saint Mesmes
Publishers: Ante Prima/AAm Bruxelles/ Silvana Editoriale
Conception and production: LAN Architecture
Producer: Luciana Ravanel
Editorial Work: Chloè Lamotte- Ante Prima; Margherita Ratti – LAN Architecture
Text: Manuel Orazi, Carine Merlino
Photographers: Jean-Marie Monthiers, Luc Boegly, Ester Viola Adriano, Benoit Linero, Pierre Sponchiado
Graphic design: Undo-Redo
Languange: French/English/Italian

TUESDAY 29 JUNE – THE ARCHITECTURE OF NECESSITY
Topics of the day include: Sustainable urban planning; recycling and regeneration; the Architecture of Necessity; who are the city meant for?
WOOD SUMMIT SMÅLAND 2010 coincides with Virserum Music Days and this will be reflected in series of concerts throughout the seminar. All events on this day will be conducted in English.
07:30–10:00 REGISTRATION
Breakfast. Morning concert featuring Ismahni on harp and Gunilla von Bahr on flute.
CLAES CALDENBY: THE ARCHITECTURE OF NECESSITY
Caldenby is a professor in architectural theory and history at Chalmers Technical College, Sweden. He is also the moderator for the day.
MICHELLE KAUFMANN: SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE WITH MODULAR SYSTEMS
Michelle Kaufmann is an architect and designer from California, USA. She is a leading figure in the field of sustainable design and was, among other things, named “2009 Green Advocate of the Year” by the National Association of Home Builders.
LUNCH
Presentation of specially invited Swedish architecture agencies and their proposals for the Architecture of Necessity. Concert in the Paperhouse.
RICCARDO VANUCCI, FARESTUDIO: ARCHITECTURE OF NECESSITY
Riccardo Vannucci is an architect at FAREstudio in Italy. The agency won the WAF 2008 Health category with their Centre pour le Bien-être des Femmes in Burkina Faso.
KENGO KUMA, KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES: ANTI-OBJECT
Kengo Kuma is a Japanese architect known for his refined minimalist style. His buildings get their identity from the use of traditional materials such as bamboo, stone and metal.
17:00 TOUR OF EXHIBITIONS AND PRE-DRINKS IN THE PAPERHOUSE EVENING BANQUET
Followed by a concert in Virserum church. After that there is the possibility of enjoying a drink at the River Pub.

WEDNESDAY 30 JUNE – 2040: FUTURE SCENARIOS
What do the terms sustainability and sustainable development actually mean? What will be the effects of uncontrollable urbanisation? Will Earth be able to support the consumption needs of the rising Asian middle-class? According to which criteria do we measure good community development? What will life be like in 2040?
07:45–09:45 REGISTRATION
Breakfast. Morning concert featuring Erik Nilsson on percussion and Gunilla von Bahr on flute.
ANDERS WIJKMAN: BNP IS AN INADEQUATE MEASURE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Anders Wijkman is Vice-Chairman of the Tällberg Foundation and Vice-President of the Club of Rome. He has worked as a General-Secretary for the Swedish Red Cross and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. He was the Director for SAREC and is a former Member of the European Parliament.
LEIF GUSTAVSSON: CLIMATE-SMART LIVING AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS
How do we construct climate-smart homes? What importance does the choice of material have for CO2 emissions? How do we supply climate-smart homes with energy? Does the forest play an important role in climate-smart living? Gustavsson is professor of Ecotechnology at the Institute for Technology and Sustainable Development at Mittuniversitetet, Sweden.
HARALD WELZER: CLIMATE WAR
Harald Welzer is an author and professor of Social Psychology at the Center for Interdisciplinary Memory Research at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, Germany. He has published in several languages, and his work includes ”Täter – wie aus ganz normalen Menschen Massenmörder werden” and ”Klimakriege – wofür im 21. Jahrhundert getötet wird”. His presentation will be conducted in English.
LUNCH
Tour of the exhibitions and lunchtime concert in the Paperhouse. The afternoon is dedicated to a series of panel discussions.
PASSIVHAUS – Solution or impasse? (conducted in English)
HANS EEK, Passivhuscentrum, Sweden. KARIN ADALBERT, doctor of building physics and responsible for the Plusenergihus in Åkarp, Sweden. WALTER UNTERRAINER, leading figure within sustainable architecture in Austria. Visiting scientist at the Umeå School of Architecture, Sweden. LEIF GUSTAVSSON, Mittuniversitetet, Sweden.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES – Workable concept or self-deception?
KARIN BRADLEY, PhD in Urban Planning and the Environment. Guest researcher at Technische Universität Berlin. ERLAND ULLSTAD, architect and professor of Applied Urban Planning. Member of the Delegation for Sustainable Cities. Former city architect in Växjö, Sweden. MICHAEL DUDLEY, architect, lecturer at The Royal University College of Fine Arts, Sweden. RAHEL BELATCHEW, architect, RB Arkitektur, Sweden. LOTTA LANNE, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Architect.
WHAT EFFECT WILL AN INCREASED USE OF THE FOREST IN TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY?
THOMAS THÖRNQVIST, professor of Wood Produce at the Institute of Technology and Design at Linnaeus University, Sweden. HILLEVI ERIKSSON, climate-specialist, Swedish Forest Agency. GÖRAN ÖRLANDER, forest manager, Södra, Sweden. Professor of forest management at Linnaeus University, Sweden.
16:45–17:00 SUMMARY

VIRSERUM ART MUSEUM AND WOOD
Virserum is a community of some 2,000 inhabitants positioned in the middle of woodlands in Småland, southern Sweden. At one stage the furniture industry employed 85% of the workforce here. Virserum Art Museum is located in a former industrial furniture hub. The Art Museum is a non-profit organisation established in 1998. The Art Museum seeks to portray the lives and experiences of ordinary people. The involvement in wood and forests stem from a desire to contribute to local development.
The Art Museum has arranged significant exhibitions on wood, forests and design since 2001. By the summer 2010 Virserum Art Museum will have moved all its operations into the famous Paperhouse, built in 2004. The top floor alone arguably constitutes the largest continuous art space in Sweden, measuring some 900 square metres with a maximum ceiling height of 7 metres.

Registration is done via the Virserum Art Museum homepage.
For more information please call +46 495 315 06

A new English-spoken Master in Interior Design, directed by our own Luca Molinari, is starting next May at NABA in Milan. Download the brochure here and the application here, and remember that NABA is part of the MIND Milan Network Design initiative (check back this post), so you might get one of the ten scholarships available – three of which include, along with a full tuition payment, a financial contribution for living in Milan.

Image from www.edwardburtynsky.com

The art of canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky reminds us of the movies by Godfrey Reggio. Similarly to the work of the Koyaanisqatsi director, the images of Burtynsky are focused on human intervention over the environment. His favourite subjects are big massive constructions and urban landscapes that often he portrays as abanonded by mankind. For this last reason his work could even remind of some apocalyptic themes like those in Cormac Mc Carthy’s The Road or J.G Ballard’s literature. His naturalistic aesthetic tells us, without any explicit polemic intent, that our intervention over earth’s soil will survive us, but perhaps our pervasiveness could not be the right way to deal with our planet.

Image from www.edwardburtynsky.com

The Earth, as looked trough the focus of Burtynsky, becomes a man-made world. Built up for our own purpouses only, without any other consideration than exploitation. Burtynsky shows us places that most of use will never visit, others we would have never imagined could look like that, or again places we never even imagined could even exist. Places like the greatest (greater than Great) dam of the world (in China), or metal recyclyng depots that, when looked from the sky,resemble an abstract Pollock painting.

Image from www.edwardburtynsky.com

One of the photographer’s most interesting works actually is the Oil series. In this long series of photos Burtynsky follows the cicle of extraction, refination, use, and saturation of our most exploited source of energy. Some of these images are just incredibly stunning, they hit you with the surprising force of evidence, of the fact that we are still totally dependent from a source of Energy that can’t be renewed. The cycle of oil is the same of industry, economy, life, but the comparision between the huge exploitation that we make of it, as showed in the Transportation series, and the risks represented by its end (as in the End Of Oil series where Burtynsky shows us abandoned Oil fields), speak of a human gender that has lost any conscience and awareness about its own impact over the planet, as if we had missed the connection between it and us.

Images from www.edwardburtynsky.com

One of the things that we experience the most with Burtynsky is the disembodiment of our perspective: we watch ourselves from a remote viewpoint, similar to the one of a UFO, an intergalactic tourist on our planet. But we are not such a tourist, we inhabit this planet. We have to stay here as we watch it, permanently affected by our presence. We are not martians, we are spectators of ourselves, of our unawareness about the self-destructive chain of actions we are in. Any possible change looks like coming too late, and the whole process seems inexorable. Compared to the GoogleEarth viewpoint, Burtynsky’s photos seem to struggle to give us a conscience. He’s also trying to provide a personality, a character to the spots he shoots, a real existence and urgence. Actually, perhaps the distance from which we look – more than the one of a UFO – could be the one of a future mankind that has been forced to leave the planet.

(For more on human impact on the environment and aerial photography check back our old review of Alex MacLean’s Over)

Alice’s Room

This season Milan Fashion week has seen the début of a new boutique hotel signed by Moschino’s creative team.  Maison Moschino opens in a renovated neoclassical station on Viale Monte Grappa, 12 in Milan near the Corso Como and Corso Garibaldi district which is one of the most renowned areas under redevelopment in Milan. Maison Moschino keeps its original 1840 exterior design – when the station used to be the main railway connecting Milan to Monza – while the interior has been completely transformed in pure amused Moschino style. Last week Ymag.it crew had the chance to enjoy the Maison opening party and guided tour on the the floors of the new design hotel by an italian brand which has definetely succeded to keep its playful identity alive for these last 27 years, despite the contemporary crises of the whole fashion system and the usual arguments on the tiring and too much concentrated length of the week cut to 4 days, this year.

the Forest room

But Maison Moschino will last after fashion shows as a distinctive location for comfort, design and fairy stories’ lovers.  Every space is furnished with a playful combination of design classics and pieces purposely created for this hotel.

On 65 rooms and junior suites, 16 different designs recreate the dreamlike atmosphere of Alice’s Wonderland. The delicate powder colours and selected materials rock you to sleep and far from ordinary life to the typical surrealist and fairy Moschino perspective.

On the ground floor, the hall and the bar welcome guests into the hotel. The Clandestino restaurant, curated by chef Moreno Cedroni, extends from the hall to the terrace, and the spa and the gym are located on the lower levels.

Details on the groung floor, the lobby

On every floor rows of keys hanging on the corridors’ ceiling promise the visitor to enter a world of unusual and spellbound environments. Each room is equipped with aflat screen TV, international cannels, wi-fi internet connection, controlled air conditioning, safe, mini-bar and phone. All ensuite rooms have shower, hair dryer and a complimentary overnight kit.

The Zzzzzzzzzzzzz room

The Luxury Storeroom

Sleeping in a Gown room

Partner of the project is the company Hotelphilosophy S.p.A, Mobygest Group,while the actual owner of
the real property is Allianz Global Investors SGR S.p.A – Fondo Ras Antares.

Moschino Press Office Tel. +39 02 678 7731 press.ita@moschino.com www.moschino.com
Hotelphilosophy Press Office tel. +39 0541 77 58 61 pressoffice@mobygest.it www.mobygest.it