After 35 years of history and education in Turin, the IED Group is expanding and inaugurating a new “Marconi” location at Via Nizza 18 in the Piedmontese capital. The 3000 sq. meter space is spread across 5 levels and will house new classrooms, workshops, and common areas for studying and socializing. The urban redevelopment and regeneration project, designed by the architectural firm Marcante Testa in collaboration with architect Walter Camagna, was carried out with respect for the environment and the history of the building. The project involved two operations: on the one hand, a complex re-functionalization of the systems and the division of the spaces; on the other, a detailed architectural renovation able to satisfy the specific needs of IED Turin.
To redevelop the building, Marcante Testa limited demolition and removal operations in order to reduce costs, consumption, and the environmental impact associated with disposal and waste production. Everything that was still functioning was kept, restoring added value.
The conservative approach is highlighted by a stratification of sign and meaning through color and wall cuts that transform the perception of spaces. The graphic project, curated by Giorgia Scioratto, is inspired by the book “Landscape is a Monster” by Annalisa Metta, and takes on the role of sewing between old and new. The classrooms and common areas now have a new look that, while leaving glimpses of the building’s past, highlights its new function through vivid details and illustrations with biomorphic motifs.
“The result of this renovation is much more than a sequence of floor plans, it is a manifesto of sustainable design that invites you to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary,” say Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa, who are also coordinators of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Courses in Interior Design at IED.
Among the new features of the “Marconi” location are a library, large spaces dedicated to Fashion courses – including a materials library and a textile library in addition to two tailoring workshops – a workshop dedicated to students of Jewelry and Accessory Design, and a laboratory for Visual Arts courses. Located near the Porta Nuova station and the Marconi metro station, the building doubles the capacity of the historic headquarters in Via San Quintino 39, which will continue to house the video and photo shooting studios and laboratories dedicated to Transportation Design and Product Design.
