Priceless Milano
Park Associati

29 July 2015

Works of so-called ephemeral architecture can be among the most interesting, precisely because of their temporary character. Intended to last only a limited period, they are not around for long and are generally not sufficiently documented through texts, drawings, photos and film. Temporary structures experiment with and utilize unusual materials and forms, answering to a logic free from traditional constraints. They are erected in special places, for a variety of purposes. They include the many projects carried out to meet the needs of emergencies and disasters – in particular those of Japanese Pritzker prizewinner Shigeru Ban – as well, by contrast, as the annual interpretation of the Serpentine Pavilion’s exhibition space in the Kensington Gardens, in London, by architects from various parts of the world (this year the intervention is by the Spanish firm Selgascano). Priceless Milano by Park Associati for MasterCard, carried out in coincidence with the Expo, is a temporary project that can be seen in the Lombard capital up until the end of October and, subsequently, in other European cities. Set on the roof of Palazzo Beltrami, known to locals and tourists as the home of the Gallerie d’Italia museum, owned by Banca Intesa Sanpaolo, in Piazza della Scala, the architecture of the Milanese studio looks like something halfway between a winged creature and the set of a science-fiction movie. Clearly visible from a distance, it stands out from the ordinary and is strikingly beautiful. Of a simple and linear form, the glass-walled and panoramic structure opens onto a terrace and has a total area of 150 sq. m. It is made up of eight finished elements, complete with furnishings, that were assembled on site in just two days. Inside, the space is split into two zones: the kitchen area, where over the course of the restaurant’s stay 35 chefs will stage a series of cooking shows and events, and the lunch-dinner area, with a single 8-meter-long table that seats 24 diners and can be hoisted up to the ceiling. A wing, made of perforated aluminum and anodized in shades of bronze and gold, visually links the new structure to the architecture of the historic building, protecting it from sunlight and heat and acting as a roof for the terrace. Park Associati, responsible earlier for the similar project called The Cube by Electrolux, carry out research into materials and technologies, devising a language of their own and unusual solutions, as in this case. From here, the view ranges over the cathedral, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the surrounding historic buildings, including La Scala with Mario Botta’s extension. It is fairly rare to be able to have lunch or dinner at such a height in Milan. In 2015, however, it seems to have become a new trend. At the Palazzo dell’Arte, in fact, on the roof of Giovanni Muzio’s Triennale, the Milanese firm OBR, winner of a competition of ideas, has built a light glazed structure for the new Terrazza Triennale restaurant with a view of the Parco Sempione and the city’s new skyscrapers.

Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati. Priceless Milano, Park Associati.



leave a note