Page 107 - AIT0918_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Storagemilano, IT-Mailand
„Ziel war es, die Tradition der
Luxusmarke bis in die Gegenwart zu
erzählen und dabei den Charme des
historischen Ortes zu bewahren.“
Storagemilano
Grundriss • Floor Plan
Schnitt • Section
Bauherr • Client Bally
Standort • Location Viale Piave 41, IT-Mailand
Nutzfläche • Floor space 836 m 2
Fotos • Photos Alberto Strada, IT-Mailand
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 160
BALLY SHOWROOM
IN MILAN
Those who have a name in the fashion industry receive
their purchasing agents in the fashion metropolis of
Milan. So does Bally, a company with a long tradition.
In the historic Kursaal Diana building, Storagemilano
pay tribute to the label's Swiss origins with a high-qua-
lity and simple yet suspenseful design and let the stage
of the former theatre shine in new splendour.
F ounded in 1851, the Swiss luxury label Bally has always relied on
cooperation with contemporary and famous representatives of
architecture for the design of its prestigious branch stores. Robert
Mallet-Stevens, for example, designed the Paris flagship store in 1929.
Interior designer Andrée Putman was responsible for the renovation of
the Zurich branch in 1995 and currently, the company's stores are char-
acterised by the style of David Chipperfield. A new showroom for pur-
chasing agents was recently opened in Milan. Next season's fashion
creations are presented on 836 square metres. The venue is the
Kursaal Diana, which was built in Art Nouveau style by Achille
Manfredini in 1908. Until 1925, the prominent corner building in the
Porta Venezia district was used as a theatre and then served as a cin-
ema until it was closed in 1989. Today, the magnificent foyer is visible
from afar thanks to frameless windows. In the dome, a chandelier
made from the Bally logo is an impressive reminder of the new occu-
pant. Underneath, massive red marble blocks – one as seating furni-
ture, one as reception counter – bear witness to the company's quality
awareness. The architects at Storagemilano Michele Pasini, Barbara
Ghidoni and Marco Donatir gave the walls a uniform white coat of
paint under which the materiality of the existing building can still be
easily recognised, thus subtly merging past and present. In the newly
installed synthetic resin floor, round brass inserts trace the octagonal
shape of the historic ceiling vault. Three portals with rotating brass
doors mark the entrance to the brand world. Here, multifunctionality
is the motto. While the lower entrance area, cast in concrete, creates
an intimate atmosphere, the former theatre hall becomes an imposing
stage. Daylight enters through arched windows in the upper third of
the nine-metre high walls painted bright white. The centre is a mobile
staircase sculpture made of black fibre cement panels, which is used
for the presentation of shoes as Bally's core competence. In combina-
tion with flexible furniture and classic chairs by wellknown architect
Jean Prouvé, ever new scenes are created in the showroom.
AIT 9.2018 • 107