WHAT

WHO

HOW MUCH

HOW

PROGRAM
FINANCING
ABSOLUTE DIMENSIONS
RELATIVE DIMENSIONS
DESIGN STRATEGY

SURFACE EXTENSION

SURFACE REDUCTION

VOLUME EXTENSION

VOLUME REDUCTION

STRUCTURE

MATERIAL

IMAGE

84 PROJECTS

Variation of modes of use: functions, users, schedules, etc.

Relationship between the ownership and the form of the investment that allows the transformation

Variation of the overall dimensions of the building

Proportional relationship between new spaces and existing spaces

Relationship between the structural adjustments and the existing structure

Relationship between the forms and types of pre-existing materials and those of the new intervention

Relationship between the image of the new and the image of the existing (mimesis / contrast)

LOCATION

Milan

ARCHITECTS / FIRM

ifdesign

YEAR

2010

TOTAL REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: The new functional program has completely replaced the original one.

The specific of Zona K project and its history make for unexpected result. The owner’s wish to open a theatre school and the conviction that ...

TOTAL REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: Financing made entirely by an investor other than property.

Nuove imprese culturali s.r.l

NO VARIATION
TOTAL CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The overall dimensions are equal to the pre-existing surface.

The project deals with the deep renovation of a former workplace acquired by a director and playwright to establish a dramaturgy school.

NO VARIATION
TOTAL CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The overall dimensions are equal to the pre-existing volume.

The project deals with the deep renovation of a former workplace acquired by a director and playwright to establish a dramaturgy school.

PREVALENT CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: Pre-existing spaces are prevalent with respect to new spaces.

The aim was to create a very flexible and neutral space able to accommodate at the same time events, exhibitions, concerts, courses, performances and lectures.

PREVALENT CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The supporting structure is mainly the original one.

Each skylight is a truncated cone with different diameters that generates new ones. The whole ceiling is thus perforated by overlapping cones without any spatial ...

PREVALENT REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: The materials chosen for the new intervention show more differences than similarities compared to the pre-existing.

Materials, lighting and colours blend into the perimeter of the interior, leaving a muted impression. A small amount of daylight enters through skylights, but then ...

TOTAL REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: The new intervention is in total contrast with the existing structures.

This project could be defined as a careful equilibrium between rationality, organic shapes and functional requirements that can only be mutated by theatrical imagination, a ...

ifdesign (Franco Tagliabue, Ida Origgi) – Zona K

PROJECT - Main Infos

PROJECT: ifdesign (Franco Tagliabue, Ida Origgi) – Zona K

LOCATION: Milan

YEAR: 2010

ARCHITECT / FIRM: ifdesign

BUYER: Nuove imprese culturali s.r.l

SURFACE: 420 sqm

PRICE: € 400.000

DESCRIPTION:
The project deals with the deep renovation of a former workplace acquired by a director and playwright to establish a dramaturgy school. The aim was to create a very flexible and neutral space able to accommodate at the same time events, exhibitions, concerts, courses, performances and lectures. A spectacular hanging cones ceiling, modulating natural and artificial lighting, acting as an acoustic modulator and hiding impressive electrical and air passages, sets the tone to this vibrant place.

WHAT - Program


TOTAL REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: The new functional program has completely replaced the original one.

DESCRIPTION:
 The specific of Zona K project and its history make for unexpected result. The owner’s wish to open a theatre school and the conviction that everything can happen anywhere (like in the book Erewhon – a play on the word “nowhere” by Samuel Butler) has generated a unique kind of alchemy. The key word of the project is neutrality – at the service of theatrical events and related projects.

WHO - Financing


TOTAL REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: Financing made entirely by an investor other than property.

DESCRIPTION:
Nuove imprese culturali s.r.l

HOW MUCH - Absolute Dimensions

- SURFACE present NO VARIATION,

TOTAL CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The overall dimensions are equal to the pre-existing surface.

- VOLUME present NO VARIATION,

TOTAL CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The overall dimensions are equal to the pre-existing volume.

DESCRIPTION:
The project deals with the deep renovation of a former workplace acquired by a director and playwright to establish a dramaturgy school.

HOW MUCH - Relative Dimensions


PREVALENT CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: Pre-existing spaces are prevalent with respect to new spaces.

DESCRIPTION:
The aim was to create a very flexible and neutral space able to accommodate at the same time events, exhibitions, concerts, courses, performances and lectures.

HOW - Design Strategy STRUCTURE


PREVALENT CONSERVATION / CONTINUITY: The supporting structure is mainly the original one.

DESCRIPTION:
Each skylight is a truncated cone with different diameters that generates new ones. The whole ceiling is thus perforated by overlapping cones without any spatial or geometric reference, either natural or artificial. In the crawl space between the cones and the actual ceiling, hundreds of metres of electrical wiring, cables and air-conditioning ducts intermingle, almost making the epidermis above our heads pulsate. Behind every wall lie sliding partitions, lamps, machinery and curtains. The natural wood floor is an invitation to bare feet, silencing every step. A few chromatic splashes are found in the auxiliary spaces – the cafeteria, the bathrooms, changing rooms and offices – a contrast that brightly highlights the neutrality of the main room.

HOW - Design Strategy MATERIAL


PREVALENT REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: The materials chosen for the new intervention show more differences than similarities compared to the pre-existing.

DESCRIPTION:
Materials, lighting and colours blend into the perimeter of the interior, leaving a muted impression. A small amount of daylight enters through skylights, but then it is multiplied and emphasised by a ceiling pattern like molecules that have been crystallised in entropic chaos.

HOW - Design Strategy IMAGE


TOTAL REPLACEMENT / DISCONTINUITY: The new intervention is in total contrast with the existing structures.

DESCRIPTION:
This project could be defined as a careful equilibrium between rationality, organic shapes and functional requirements that can only be mutated by theatrical imagination, a “curtain” that makes all judgement short-lived.