© Ian+ . Pubblicata il 01 Febbraio 2006.

The project for the buildings devoted to the Fair on Milan issues from the request to study a system of façade with well defined characteristics: A simple technology, a strong recognizability and the chance to reduce the visual impact of the two blocks, which are about 200 meters long.

© Ian+ . Pubblicata il 01 Febbraio 2006.

A strong recognizability

© Ian+ . Pubblicata il 01 Febbraio 2006.

The main concept is to create through the skin of the building an artificial landscape where to plunge before entering the fair. A system of horizontal binds moving as waves on the façade, opening fromn the indoor sudden views on the fair stands.

© Ian+ . Pubblicata il 28 Marzo 2006.

The façade of multustorey buildings moves in the horizontal direction, to let emerge strongly the structure of the main entrance, designed by Massimiliano Fuksas. Therefore, the cover of the central exhibition axis finds its ideal continuity in the stripes dynamically enrolling around the two principal buildings.

© Ian+ . Pubblicata il 28 Marzo 2006.

The façade, which is formed by continuous ribbons with synusoidal profile, protects, without closing it, and removing light and air inside the parking place. At the same time, it creates a movement multiplying and deforming the volumes, disintegrate the stereometry and enlighten the buildings, almost suspended over the soil on a skin of metal web.

If the primary function of multistorey parking places is to host vehicles, it should not be forgotten their capability of attracting and orientating the visitor, using the parking places along the streets, before the complex, guiding him towards the main entrance.

The choice of a non traditional façade aims to increase the architectural quality of a fair pole preparing to be one of the most important in the world. A place where visitors, from the very moment of their arrival, perceive the high symbolic and architectural value

Among metal stripes of the two multi-storey buildings are enclosed two glass volumes suspended, having the double function of signal on the urban scale and of internal foyer: On the glass surface of the first building is xerygraphed the logo of the fair, while the glass surface of the second one hosts a graphic display to project animations and video-clips of the activities taking place inside the fair. Throughout the back foyers, large glass screens, are collected and oriented the visitors fluxes using the multi-storey parking places, which, through two pedestrian bridges, reach directly the central axis of the fair.

This connection is conceived as an extension of the plate of Fuksas project: they are not the multi-storey to be attached to the plate, but it is the plate itself to extend towards the two buildings, keeping its connecting role among the various functions.

When by night the containers are empty, the façade inverts its relationships: the voids become full spaces, throughout an internal light system transforming the voids in between the stripes in rays of light, as the horizon at sunset and the plate becomes subtler in the dark.

To reduce the visual impact

The façade is formed by plate wavy ribbons in metal league zync-copper-titanium with a pre-plated surface finish.

The glass part of the façade is in structural glass, it is a smooth light paper, transparent, opposing to the wrinkled bluntness of the wavy plate.

A simple technology

The system of the façade previews a metal substructure sustaining the wavy plate ribbons, with interaxis of 1,50 mt, in a modular coordination with the structural pattern of the buildings. This substructure consists of profilings aimed to the bullet union of each attic. The inclination beavers of the plate stripes vary from two angular measurement ranges, in order to standardize the cuts and ease the operations of putting in place.

The material, light and unalterable, does not require maintenance, because the pre-plating of the metal, obtained through decaping technique, and the gradual development of the coat on the plate guarantee resistance to the corrosion and aggression of atmospheric and environmental agents.