Monday, February 23, 2009

Design for the New Stand for Confindustria Ceramica



Piazza, a public square in an Italian town.
The joy one experiences with the engagement of the piazza is not limited to the beauty of the architectural elements, but more importantly, with the interaction with the people drawn to the environment. A visual, physical and human dialogue is unavoidable in such a setting.

Thus, the design solution I present to you is not just a stand but a “piazza” to create a visual, physical and human dialogue between the trade and the consumer.

The periphery of the piazza consists of four elements. The first element we encounter is the Information Desk, which I consider “the cathedral of knowledge.” The second element, the Catering Service, is “the communion of fellowship.” The third and fourth elements wrap a display of the elevated floor system creating a bench for overflow seating. These four elements creating the piazza are unified by an steel beam connecting them above, defining the architectural space.

The platform (i.e., the piazza) will allow four major products to be displayed by bisecting the space on the axis using 1’.0” x 2’.0” tiles in each sector.

The information desk element will be built using the 3m x 9m full porcelain tiles for the counter and back wall construction. The walls towards the piazza will be a display for a ventilated wall construction using porcelain 2’.0” x 4'.0” tiles. Sustainability will be a strong suit in our selection of materials and systems used.

The issue of product display is an important consideration. It has been addressed with the utmost concern, so as not to appear as a showroom. The products featured are intended to be used as architectural elements of design and provide for the display of no less than sixteen member companies to participate, showing the wide range of products and systems available.

A video wall is strategically located for viewing from the entire piazza. The use of existing tables and chairs scattered throughout the piazza allow a free-flow of activity.

The use of the elevated floor and ventilated wall systems can be stored and reused in subsequent years. It is intended for the four main elements to be pre-assembled in their entirety by the constructor and shipped to the site, thus limiting costly on-site construction by local contractors.

Taliesin Mod.Fab Project



Photo copyright: Bill Timmerman.

The Taliesin Mod.FabTM is an example of simple, elegant, and sustainable living in the desert. The one-bedroom, 600-square-foot prototype residence relies on panelized construction to allow for speed and economy on site or in a factory. It can be connected to utilities or be "unplugged," relying on low-consumption fixtures, rainwater harvesting, greywater re-use, natural ventilation, solar orientation, and photovoltaics to reduce energy and water use. The structure is dimensioned and engineered to be transportable via roadway.


The Taliesin Mod.FabTM was designed and built by graduate and undergraduate students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture with the faculty guidance of Michael P. Johnson and Jennifer Siegal, project manager Christian Butler, recent M.Arch graduate, and assistant project manager Nick Mancusi, current BAS student.


The structure can be visited on the student-led Taliesin West Desert Shelter Tour, Saturdays at 1:30 until April 25, 2009.


For further information, more photos and list of all participants please visit the following link. http://www.taliesin.edu/pages/MODFAB.htm