Client: Allianz Spa
Main Contractor: Colombo Costruzioni
Architecture: Arata Isozaki, Andrea Maffei
Interior design: Andrea Maffei Architects, Milan
Lighting design: Voltaire Lighting Design, Milan
Stove design: Marchesini Cooking
Furnishings: Ni.va., Calligaris, Pedrali, Laminam, Casalgrande Padana, Ceadesign, Agoprofil, Florim Rex
Lighting: Flos, Lucent Lighting distributed in Italy by Arkilux, Barthelme, NIL, IGLU Cold System
Photo credits: Andrea Martiradonna
For the three-star Da Vittorio, this is the first space in Milan conceived with the new DAV formula, aimed at a younger clientele. Hence the choice of a location on the first floor of a skyscraper, filled with the atmosphere of the big city: the Torre Allianz designed by Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei in the new CityLife district. Within the 530 square meters organized mostly to contain offices, the studio Andrea Maffei Architects has made good use of a plan formed by two cores and a long rectangular space with windows facing an outdoor terrace (of 600 sqm).
The idea was to create a single, fluid space to accompany guests as far as their table, placing the kitchen on the north side, the reception area to the south, and the restaurant at the center, between the cocktail bar and the glass façade.
The architectural element that connects everything is a long expanse of cherry wood paneling composed of evocative fractals, a series of pyramids that rotate in different directions to suggest movement. The unusual solution developed by Andrea Maffei extends lengthwise on one side, also cladding the doors of the restrooms and of the technical spaces, incorporating them in a geometric game accentuated by the oblique lighting from above.
As a whole, the lighting is not uniform, but concentrated on the walls and tables, alternating shadows and reflections to create a soft, enveloping setting. The material aspects become more forceful, also thanks to the choice of Pietra Piasentina stoneware by Laminam in a pale gray color for the walls and floors, or pale gray pleated Thala stone for all the counters.
Dark gray wood covers the ceiling with long slats, concealing the easily accessed physical plant systems and the sound-absorbing panels. Inside and outside, where guests can admire an urban landscape wrapped by the green tones of the plants, the furnishings include pieces by Calligaris, Pedrali, Flos, Lucent Lighting.
