The terrazza,which overlooks the entire city, houses a restaurant equipped with an atmosphere of glass and vegetation, similar to that of a greenhouse. OBR, winner of the competition for the design of the terrace in July 2014, has reinterpreted the traditional metal structure of the Milan Architecture Triennale by providing a lightweight component element that lies on the lower and older heavy palace.
According to OBR architects, Paolo Brescia and Tommaso Principi .-
"The Triennale has always been a point of reference in the social and cultural life of Milan. The form of the restaurant, a glasshouse suspended between park and city, stems from the idea of turning the terrace of the Palazzo dell’Arte into a center of urban sociability, a sensitive space in a perpetual state of evolution that encourages interaction by means of the dynamic exchanges between inside and outside."
Indeed, the combination of city and park elements is holds a great importance in the design of the glass pavilion of approximately 150 sqm, where visitors who come to enjoy the cuisine of chef Stefano Cerveni are surrounded by the scent of vegetation the entrance, while at the same time they observe the architecture of the city from a vantage point. The pavilion is retracted from the edge of the roof and its perimeter, covered by glass and covered with fabric, can be completely open or closed according to the needs of the moment.
Description of the project by OBR
The exhibitions by Milan Triennale have always been a synthesis of design and architectural experimentation; on such occasions Parco Sempione was turned into a theatrical stage for the new myths of urban living and the Palazzo dell’Arte became a marvellous device of cultural promotion.
The project reinterprets the tradition of the Triennale conceiving the restaurant on the rooftop as a transparent glass pavilion, suspended above Parco Sempione and the skyline of Milano and Castello Sforzesco.
Climbing up to the terrace of the Palazzo dell’Arte, visitors are greeted by a garden of aromatic herbs, behind which rises the glazed pavilion of the restaurant, set back from the portals in the historic façade. The pavilion, which can be opened completely all the way around its perimeter, is characterized by a light modular structure of stainless steel that allows easy and rapid assembly, combining industrial technologies with craft skills. The design of the structure itself echoes the geometry of the spans of Muzio’s historic building.
A large mobile curtain of 400 square meters floats above the glass roof. Opening completely to one side, it allows the pavilion to function as a bioclimatic self-thermo-regulating greenhouse that can be used in different ways in the day/night-time and permits guests to dine in the shade at lunchtime or under the stars in the evening.
CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-
Design team.- Paolo Brescia, Tommaso Principi, Andrea Casetto, Edoardo Allievi, Sidney Bollag, Francesco Cascella, Teresa Corbin, Maria Lezhnina, Caterina Malavolti, Monica Nastasi, Enrico Pinto, Elisa Siffredi.
Project team.- Antonio Perazzi Paesaggio, Artiva Design, Buro Happold, Milan Ingegneria, GAD, Maddalena D’Alfonso, Francesco Nastasi, Rossi Bianchi lighting design.
Design manager.- OBR Andrea Casetto.
General contractor.- Capoferri Spa.
Location.- Palazzo dell’Arte, Milano.
Dates.- 2014 (competition), 2015 (construction).