Project by Antonio Citterio and Partners, Studio Anna Giorgi, Favero & Milan Ingegneria

Trying to give a meaning to this project, which is bound to develop in a flat territory surrounded by the faraway perspective of Alps, it was decided that the “icon” theme was a priority and the main value for connoting this project would be verticality. We have worked on the dissection, scission and opening of the whole, in order to obtain two equal, though dissimilar elements, included in a single dimension and linked by a strong relation of belonging and proximity in terms of matter, space and volume. An empty vertical plan separates the two bodies, leaving just the minimum distance which is required to define them. The texture of the planes in the façade is precious; it is minute despite the large scale of the building, interwoven with different materials, reflecting at times. This texture covers the structure on all the outer sides making the two towers similar in different colours: they look like parallel blades where slenderness of the body is taken to the extreme while respecting their functionality.
Glass, metal and concrete - industrial materials which are appropriate for a production context, in a variety of shades - compose a matrix that is reproduced on each floor with just a slight difference.
The two dominating perspectives of the building can be viewed from the two main entrances – eastern door and western door – while the iconic profile – to the North and the South – is oriented and opens on the Exhibition Grounds and – to the South – on the parks.
The extreme bipolar structure of these hotel facilities – which are at the same time private (the rooms) and public (the hall) – has suggested to organise space in a different way, by enhancing its character in terms of environmental comfort and spatial use.
All the rooms are oriented towards the outer landscape – the city and the Alps – through horizontal ribbon windows which provide the largest field of vision without compromising their habitability and the equipment of the interiors. The outer skin covering the part of the building where the rooms are situated is matt, and only has those openings which are necessary and appropriate to guarantee privacy and insulation – both thermal and noise insulation – without special devices.
The communal areas for transit and socialising (the hall, the foyer, the corridors) look on the large empty area inside, through horizontal and vertical surfaces which are completely transparent and create a play on constant visual references. The terraces, which offer breathtaking panoramas, are part of the life of the hotel and the Exhibition Grounds. The terraces are public places where you can watch and be watched.
The two buildings have been designed in steel. They are slender, apparently flexible, united and separated by a cascade of polished metal rods which seem to move with the sun’s rays. They are like two grey shields, separated and united by the tension of their minimum distance.
They are bonded together by a transparent internal volume they have in common, a volume onto which private rooms open. The external envelope of the building gives an idea of protection, but also of sensitivity to the light and heat of the sun: it is dark at dawn and bright at sunset. The surface is fragmented into irregular pieces that disrupt the regular arrangement of windows. Although a place for people, we must not betray this object’s abstract and symbolic character. The materials used for the façade are bare, stark, industrial. They are used for their inert nature, since they need no maintenance, but react to heat and light. It’s a simple, natural use of materials which reveals their expressive power in the refinement of the design.