Giving Warmth to the Building Skin-The World of Gio Ponti,

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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.

Giving Warmth to the Building Skin-The World of Gio Ponti, Father of Modern Italian Design in Tokoname, Japan by TORAFU ARCHITECTS

December 6th, 2013 by Sumit Singhal

Article source: TORAFU ARCHITECTS

We designed the space for an exhibition “Giving Warmth to the Building Skin-The World of Gio Ponti, Father of Modern Italian Design” at INAX MUSEUMS in the city of pottery, Tokoname, Aichi prefecture, Even though Ponti is a modernist, he explores architectural surfaces, integrating hand craft work into machine production in order to communicate “feeling of skin,” such as its texture and warmth. Four themes: “Interior wall,” “Window” “Floor” and “Exterior wall” were keys to the interpretation of the exhibition. By making excellence use of co-located Monozukuri Koubou laboratory crafting technique, we have attempted to duplicate Ponti’s tile work.

Image Courtesy © Daici Ano

Architects: TORAFU ARCHITECTS
Project: Giving Warmth to the Building Skin-The World of Gio Ponti, Father of Modern Italian Design
Location: Tokoname, Japan
Photography: Daici Ano
Principal Use: EXHIBITION SITE
Production: detail
Credit:tile production: INAX TILING LABO
Building Site: INAX MUSEUMS (LIXIL Group)
Total floor area: 98.4m2
Design Period: 2013.06-10
Construction Period: 2013.10.21-2013.11.01
Duration:2013.11.02-2014.03.18

Image Courtesy © Daici Ano

Dividing the space into several areas by loosely placing walls like a pleat and shifting their height up and down, each exhibition room can have continuous changing surroundings. When you notice, inside and outside space has been mixed, it gives a hint to the next themed room, providing visitors “discovery experience.” This spatial arrangement also gives advantage to the small interior to look wider and more spatial.

Image Courtesy © Daici Ano

The shifted walls seem as if they are floating, and it gives the sense of ‘lightness’ aligning with Ponti’s style. Walls have been hollowed out, allowing to see through another space, making spatial divisions even more ambiguous.

We designed the space to introduce multitalented designer Gio Ponti’s art fragmentally, meanwhile where the visitors can also discover the connection with the masterpiece.

Image Courtesy © Daici Ano

Contact TORAFU ARCHITECTS

Tags: Japan, Tokoname

Category: Exhibition

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