portfolio
Torino / Taichung / New York
www.lorenaalessio.com
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you are entering the world of Lorena Alessio Architetti
a world made by memories, reflections, journeys through space and time, thus, enriching the perception of the present moments. We live in the void determined by enclosed built spaces or natural environments; the relationship between full and empty allows us to feel harmony, beauty, and sensation of well-being. Our job as architects seeks this harmony. Focusing on the making of spaces where individuals can feel immersed with mind, body and spirit. Lorena Alessio - Founder and Principal of laa BArch-Italy, MArch-N.Y., PhD-Japan Visiting Associate Professor Hosei University, Tokyo (2016) Assistant Professor PoliTO (2012-2017)
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The deeply connected research to a constant comparison between Art, Architecture and Technology is the leitmotif of Lorena Alessio's style. Her interest towards the infinitely small, the mutability of nature and her life experiences in culturally distant countries translate into evocative, wideranging architectural proposals, combined with an interest in the study of Italian and Japanese cities. Lorena Alessio graduated in Architecture at the Politecnico di Torino and holds a specialization in Urban Design from Oxford Polytechnic, a Master's degree from Pratt Institute in New York and a Ph.D. from Nihon University in Tokyo. Since 2000 she has been involved in architectural and urban design research at the Politecnico di Torino, teaching in numerous universities in Italy, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. In 2016 she became Visiting Associate Professor at Hosei University in Tokyo; she also carried out workshops with universities such as: MIT, The University of Tokyo, Waseda University. From 2006 to 2011, she founded and chaired “Casa delle Arti e dell'Architettura” in Settimo Torinese, organizing and coordinating events for the promotion of architectural quality, in partnership with the Fondazione di Arte Contemporanea Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, the Japan Institute of Architects and the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo. She also held several conferences and workshops, hosting various personality from the international architectural scene, among them: Maki Fumihiko, Sejima Kazuyo, Odile Decq, Ban Shigeru, Bernard Tschumi, Shu Wang, Fujimoto Sou, Mario Cucinella. Over the years she has developed a strong Design Management capability, working with Bovis Lend Lease and coordinating major projects.
laa is an architectural firm based in Torino, Taichung, New York. laa has been internationally recognized and exhibited at the Biennale of Venice 2018. Founded in 1999 by Lorena Alessio, the studio is distinguished by its multidisciplinary approach to masterplanning, architectural design including landscape architecture, interior design and brand identity, both nationally and internationally. laa has been cooperating with renowed architects worldwide. Each project is the result of daily suggestions and formal experimentations combined with technological innovation. The interaction between space and user is at the base of laa’s methodology. The moving freely of the users through the ambient is obtained through the break of clear boundaries, with a predominance of intermediate and undefined spaces. The transition from emptiness to fullness is a recurring concept in projects, always seeking maximum lightness of expression. Technological Innovation and Sustainable Architecture, Architectural and Urban Design, Re-styling, Interior Design, and Graphics are the studio's main focus.
Alessio writes for some of the most prestigious architectural magazines, including A+U and The Plan, publishing articles and moderating events. Her main publications include "Shigeru Ban" (2008) and "Toyo Ito" (2009) edited by Edilstampa. Under publication "Entropic Tokyo", which analyses the urban changes of the last thirty years, assuming useful elements for urban design. Research in architecture and urban design is closely linked to the world of professional activity. Lorena Alessio collaborated with: Kuma Kengo, Zaha Hadid, Isozaki Arata , Daniel Libeskind, Benedetto Camerana, Pier Paolo Maggiora. She has been an invited speaker to numerous international conferences.
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Main Works • Masterplanning and Urban Design • Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture • Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity • Technological Innovation
Torino / Taichung / New York
www.lorenaalessio.com
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Masterplanning / Mix-use facilities
year: 2013 location: Taichung, Taiwan function: commercial, offices, restaurants, residential, hotels, bus station, park scale: 800,000.00 sqm development client: Enrich Corporation Co. design team: Lorena Alessio Marco Brizio, Elena Abbate, Silvio Marsanic, Chiara Brusati, Veronica Comba internships: Lee Wonseok, Bae Hyunjung art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: feasibility studies / preliminary design / development design Awards • Selected and Published through national competition in “Architecture: energy for Made in Italy”, 2015 by IN/ARCH for the Italian Ministry of Economic Development • Selected Project in THE PLAN AWARD 2015 • Exhibited and Published in “100 Architects of the year 2015” – Korean Institute of Architects and UIA
T6-STILNOVOCITY Taichung, Taiwan – 2013
• Published in “Feed Forward 2014-2015”, pp. 40-41, KONSEPT PROJELER, Istanbul, January-February 2015
A private development by Taiwanese corporation for a mix-use facilities project, StillNovoCity takes inspiration by a series of images and concept deriving from Taiwanese landscapes (rice fields and Chinese traditional architecture) and Italian medieval cities configuration (such as San Gimignano and Assisi). The masterplan located in an area next to the new centre of Taichung, will be connected to the bus terminal building, main stop for buses running from North to South Taiwan. The concept evokes hilly landscapes giving a strong emphasis to public spaces, green areas and park adjusted following a vertical distribution. The site covers an area of 8 hectares with a floor area ratio of 500%, containing: - Bus Terminal Station (15,000 sqm) - Commercial Centre, with cinema complex and fine dining (130,000 sqm) - 5 stars Hotel and Serviced Apartments - 4 stars Hotel and Parity Apartments - Offices, Business Center - Housing - Parking - Parks, plazas and gardens. Great attention is given to the terminal bus station, designed to become a landmark for Taichung. The project consists in open cuts allowing light and green at -13 meters, where bus station and waiting area find place, creating a strong connection with the rest of the city. Masterplanning and Urban Design
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A glass façade brings light to basement while defining an outstanding and impressive entrance. Through continuous external paths people are driven to walk from basement to rooftops, crossing rice fields, terraces with relax spots, coffee places and restaurants. The rooftops are design to host several functions (relax and restaurant areas, garden, plazas). People can enter shops, office building and hotels from different outdoor paths, placed at each floor, guarantying access and control. The main tower, 300 meters high, has a podium as part of the garden and place for gathering. The area also includes waterways and waterfalls in order to mitigate the high temperatures typical of the place.
3 1. Masterplan 2. Cross Section 3. Bus Station - Internal view
Masterplanning and Urban Design
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Masterplanning / Mix-use facilities / Urban Re-development
year: 2012 location: Tainan, Taiwan function: commercial, offices, restaurants, residential, hotels, park scale: NA client: Tainan City Council design team: Lorena Alessio Marco Brizio, Monica Cazzamani Bona, Elena Abbate internships: Kako Irie, Stefano Scavino, Zhiwhei Zhu art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design international competition Awards • Honourable Mention ‘2012 International Urban Design Competition – Urban Re-development Project at Tainan Main Station Area – Tainan’, Taiwan, June 2012 • Published in “Taiwan Architect” 2012/10 no. 454
MIXITY Tainan, Taiwan – 2012) 2012
The new Tainan Re-development Plan is based on a strong relation with the surroundings, thinking at the new Station Area as an enzyme bringing new life to the city. It will be a pleasant place for living, studying, relaxing, being absorbed into culture. Taking into account the cultural presence of several important Taiwanese monuments in Tainan, Mixity focuses on the relationships between traditional areas and the new development. Culture and innovation will find a blend with the presence of a new Museum of History and Arts of Tainan. Culture activities will be next to the Creative Industry Park, where an Icubator will find place. The station itself will host an important cultural and touristic info-center. Being Cheng Kung University Campus a leading center for culture and creativity, next to it a congress hall will be displayed. On the West side, a “Green Observatory” will host butterflies and flowers and it will be an indoor glass house between two parks, the Tainan Park and the Old Rail Park of Mixity. The new Park, is easily accessible and it is composed by five main parts. From North to South we find: - The “emotional park” is next to cultural activities, such as congress centre, library, mediateque; - The “tonic park” opens to public uses, for families, children playground; - The “forest like park” with a dense palm zone, with water basin and open fields; - The “urban activities park”, with a wide plaza open to activies; Masterplanning and Urban Design
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Department Store Information Centre Small Business Cultural Creative Industry Covered Plaza Business Incubator Night Market Hotel Library
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Housing Auditorium Green Observatory Museum Offices Sporting Center Parking Bus Terminal/ Taxi Queue Electric Shuttle Bus Station Urban Public Space Old Rail Park New Tainan Station and Railway
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- The “waiting and admiring park”, with fruit trees, such as mangos, and papayas, close to the bus terminal stations. Intriguing bridges cross the park. They remind traditional bridges, such as the Sanxiantal-Bridge in Taiwan. An electric shuttle bus connects the site from North to South to the existing mobility system. A ‘stratified city’ starts to be in place, through the creation of several vertical layers of development. Keeping the height of 20 meters as the main level for a new horizontal public path. From it, higher buildings host new functions, both cultural, tertiary and commercial ones.
4 1. Functions - Axonometry 2. Design Process 3. Plan 4. Linear Park
Masterplanning and Urban Design
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Masterplanning / Mix-use facilities / Urban Re-development - CONSULTANCY
year: 2003 - 2005 location: Milan, Italy function: mix-use facilities, residential, commercial, museum, kindergarden, park scale: NA client: City Life - Fiera Milano technical coordinator/design manager for ArchA S.p.A.: Lorena Alessio architects: Pier Paolo Maggiora - ArchA S.p.A., Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki, Daniel Libeskind
Re-development project of the historical Milano Fair area in Milan. The project, now part of the Milano skyline is the design of an international bid competition won in 2005 by the group composed by Pier Paolo Maggiora - ArchA S.p.A. (Turin), Zaha Hadid (London), Arata Isozaki (Tokyo), Daniel Libeskind (New York). Lorena Alessio worked at the Technical Coordination/ Design Management as a Consultant for ArchA S.p.A., coordinating all the involved groups of designers and engineers.
design phases: feasibility studies / preliminary design / development design winner of international competition
CITYLIFE Milano – 2003/2005 Masterplanning and Urban Design
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Masterplanning / Mix-use facilities / Urban Re-development - CONSULTANCY
year: 2007 location: Montecarlo, Monaco function: mix-use facilities scale: NA client: Montecarlo Sea Land consultancy - design management: Lorena Alessio for Bovis Lend Lease Milano
The project of expansion of Montecarlo was an international bid competition. The project group was composed by Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind, headed by Bovis Lend Lease Milano office as Project Management. Lorena Alessio was a Consultant of the project, as Design Manager for Bovis Lend Lease.
architects: Daniel Libeskind, Arata Isozaki design phases: feasibility studies / preliminary design international competition
MONTECARLO SEALAND Montecarlo – 2007 Masterplanning and Urban Design
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Main Works • Masterplanning and Urban Design • Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture • Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity • Technological Innovation
Torino / Taichung / New York
www.lorenaalessio.com
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Commercial / Showroom / Park
year: 2020 - on going location: Settimo Torinese, Torino function: showroom scale: 6,000 sqm and park client: Idrocentro S.p.A. construction cost: 10,000,000.00 Euro design team: Lorena Alessio Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Samuel Fiolis, Alessia Sciotto graphics 3D: Giada Daga Design phases: preliminary design / development design / construction drawings / construction supervision
IDROCENTRO Settimo T.se – 2020/on going
The extension of Idrocentro S.p.A. showroom readdresses the South-East entrance to Settimo Torinese City. laa creates an iconic front door by using architectural solutions and landscaping. Positioned in a gorgeous location with a complete panorama to the Torino’s hills with Superga Basilica and Moncanino Tower, the expansion of 6,000 sqm will create a showroom totalling 12,000 sqm for all the Idrocentro’s products. A park will extend the outdoor showroom, combining a beautiful landscape with the exhibition of products, such as canopies, fountains, pools, materials for exteriors, etc. By working with the municipality, the public path for bicycle and pedestrian coming from the city center will be continued to the park, and people would be able to cross it reaching other facilities in the area. The park has been designed choosing local species with trees and shrubs enhancing different areas by colors of leaves and flowers. The park will have red, pink, blue, white and yellow areas: five chromatic zones throughout all the year. The park will be highly visible by the main streets entering Settimo Torinese. It will offer different paths. Specifically, a tectonic system of ramps and walls offers a pedestrian path with large views on the hill system behind the park, while an annular path crosses all the five
Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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chromatic zones under the trees. Along the tectonic defined by walls, products for exteriors are exhibited while being available to be used by people enjoying the park. The park ends with a pedestrian bridge on Rio Freidano connecting, for the first time, the area to other commercial facilities. The extension and re-styling of Idrocentro defines an iconic image with facades composed by micro-perforated aluminum panels. The design is custom made and it is visible at different scales, offering several layers of perception. The new facades act as solar shading system and they hide a big terrace on the third showroom level. The facades have various heights and red/orange colors interrupted by large windows back-colored in yellow, blue and red. The facades system defines an interesting and harmonious front. In interior, levels with double heights and balconies allow views to different floors and easy orientation. All the service areas are positioned in the back, allowing large and open exhibition floors.
3 1. Park - Plan 2. Park - Section 3. Park view
Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Office / Showroom and Warehouse
year: 2020 - on going location: Fes, Marocco function: showroom, offices, warehouse scale: 2,900 sqm client: Atlas Peintures design team: Lorena Alessio Samuel Fiolis, Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Francesca Meineri, Francesca Di Nuzzo, Alessia Sciotto art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design / development design / construction drawings
ATLAS PEINTURES Fes, Morocco – 2020/on going
The colourful Moroccan landscapes, the geometric pattern of the Islamic tradition, the skilful plays of light and shadows are revived in a contemporary key by laa. Those elements are used as inspiration for the design of a system of facades, surrounding a building located in the city of Fes, intended for offices, showroom and warehouse. The facades convey multiple concepts: the company’s identity and logo represented by the lion; the functions of the building which are displayed from the exteriors, with the opaque warehouse block and the semi-transparent administration/commercial area. Distinctive element of the building, the facades are composed by a system of three independent layers (mesh, green oasis, external wall), for which laa chooses materials and architectural solutions that simultaneously and effectively respond to several problematic: the microclimatic characteristics of the site, the aesthetic impact of the building and the sustainability of the intervention. The mesh acts both as a decorative element and as a brissoleil protecting the glazed area. laa takes advantage of the mesh material’s properties, designing fabrics with variable density depending on the radiation, and converts those highly technical aspects into a pattern inspired by the geometric decorative elements of local architecture. The final result is an effective solar radiation filter ensuring the right amount of light in office and showroom areas. A green filter performs as an additional thermal barrier, reducing the energy demand for air conditioning supply system and providing beautiful views from the office interiors. Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Considering the warehouse coating facade, laa develops a design sublimated on aluminium sheets. This solution creates a coherent design with a unique and distinctive decorative element. Colour and light are the design themes adopted for the showroom interiors, guiding visitors in understanding paints and finishings. The result is a building capable of expressing visual continuity between interior and exterior spaces and defining a strong brand identity.
1. External view to the east with offices and showroom 2. External view to the north with offices and warehouse 3. Internal showroom view 4. Details
Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Office Headquarter
year: 2020 location: Madayn, Oman function: offices, cultural activities scale: NA client: KOM design team: Lorena Alessio Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Francesca Di Nuzzo, Gioele Cammarere art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design international competition
KOM - Headquarter of Public Establishment and Industrial Estates / Madayn, Oman – 2020
Work, relax, culture, nature mix into a masterplan which articulates functions and areas according to views, connectivity, interrelation, and comfort. The project is the new headquarter for public establishment and industrial estates (KOM), designed for the city of Madayn (Oman). KOM is a site that offers a wide range of activities with a continuous relation with nature in enclosed and open spaces. The site can be separate into two main areas: public and cultural activities at East, and office buildings at West. Inside the site, a public space hosting a plaza and a park, a conference center and a museum are all organized on different levels, according to the site’s morphology. At South and East, walls define an impressive entrance to the site for pedestrians, while creating beautiful shadows, where geometrical configuration mix with natural forms. West facades have intriguing system of bris-soleil which protect from strong sun. Rooftops have green areas and are used to enjoy the views to the park and for relax. The project is articulated in several ‘in-between-spaces’ creating a connection between interior and exterior spaces. The facades, designed to interact with the inside and outside are divided into opaque, glassed and interior facades. Opaque facades are characterized by geometrical broderies interrupted by openings of diverse dimensions Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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and shapes overlooking to the park and Madayn center. Glassed facades host a second skin filtering natural light. The skin repeats the geometrical broderies of external walls, being lighter and acting as bris-soleil. The latter assumed different shapes according to the facades orientation and needs of interior natural light. Interior facades in common halls are filtered by beautiful geometrical mesh, which creates internal shadows and define comfort and relax into the high-ceiling zones. Meshes are made of fiber and resin. The resin has a thermoplastic origin, and both components can be separated and re-used. All the project is highly sustainable in materials’ choice their possible re-use and re-cycle.
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1. Internal view 2. Ground Floor Plan 3. External view 4. Section and Elevation
Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Public Library & Fine Arts Museum
year: 2013 location: Taichung, Taiwan function: public library & fine arts museum scale: 62,000.00 sqm client: Taichung City Council design team: Lorena Alessio Silvio Marsanic, Nicola Rosato, Chiara Brusati, Elena Abbate, Veronica Comba, Giulia Mondino, Francesca Lupo - internships: Lee Wonseok, Bae Hyunjung art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio Local Architects: Banmutang Environmental Integration Group, Taichung, Taiwan Circulation & Traffic Consultant: David Ta-Wei Poo, Chairman of Mega Trans International Corporation, Taipei, Taiwan design phases: preliminary design international competition
EN - LIGHTING Taichung Taiwan – 2013
The project is aiming to define a strong identity of the new cultural center for Taichung City and its Metropolitan Area. The site is fulfilled with an architectural design that merges into landscape and dialogues with the urban areas. It is a place of culture, of sensations, a framework for the growing of mind and spirit. A common area between the public library and the fine arts museum is the heart of CULTURE. There, new green areas, water basins and views on the park and the city can be perceived. We call it the LANTERN ambiance, as a setting for improvement, learning, thinking, sharing ideas. Layers of transparencies envelop the cores of culture: books and arts objects. The reading areas and the museum’s corridors are ambient of spatial and lighting experiences. One of the main focus for the project is the connection between park and city. The two merges thanks to a new landscape defining visual and physical links, at different levels, with the surroundings. An open air sculpture garden and a series of water basins and green areas are close to the “Wave-making pool” (used for the making of the masterpiece ‘Life of Pi’). Visual and physical corridors connect the city to the park and to new areas of restaurants, meeting rooms and exhibition areas. Un upper level offers breath-taking views on the park and the project. All these spaces are public and open to social relations: indoor and outdoor plazas. Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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1 “chimney” effect natural ventilation photovoltaic system double skin green technologies vegetations roof S OUTH -W
vegetations roof N ORTH -E AST
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vegetations roof
double skin green technologies attention to materials & their life cycle assessment natural ventilation
new landscape
collecting rain water
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microclimate
1. External view 2. Internal view - Library 3. External view - Entrance 4. Sustainability Scheme
Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Commercial / Showroom
year: 2009 - 2011 location: Settimo Torinese, Torino function: showroom, offices, warehouse scale: 3,000 sqm client: Unimetal S.p.A. construction cost: 4,500,000.00 Euro design team: Lorena Alessio Marco Brizio, Silvio Marsanic art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design
3,000 sqm of office building and showroom, in a peculiar site facing Turin hillside and the Superga Basilica; the partially cantilevered project poses on pilotis, defining the dialogue between the tectonic natural conditions and architecture. Pilotis are surrounded by a water basin, both with technical and aesthetical functions, eventually accepting the Rio Freidano’s flooding. Interventions on the Rio will be provided together with a new landscaping. Three buildings, stretching towards the hills, define the complex, being connected by horizontal and vertical passages. Specifically, one of the three volumes is in axis with Superga Basilica, favouring a special view. The architectural design interacts with the surroundings with curvilinear forms in front of existing buildings, and with linear forms when facing the hills and the natural setting.
FINGERS Settimo (To) – 2009/2011 Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Office Headquarter and Climbing Center
year: 2013 location: Sofia, Bulgaria function: headquarter end climbing center scale: 8,000.00 sqm client: Walltopia design team: Lorena Alessio Marco Brizio, Silvio Marsanic, Elena Abbate, Chiara Brusati, Veronica Comba art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design international competition
CLIMB! Collider Activity Center Sofia, Bulgaria – 2013
Climb! Collider Activity Center is a project based on two main concepts: - the design of a comprehensive space defined by park and buildings, creating a unique harmony - the ‘walking through’ experience of space, based on different sensations given by views, change of heights, perceiving the change of seasons, colours, shadows, etc. Park, Collider Activity Center, open air areas, and boulders constitute a space to be discovered while experiencing the whole site. The building itself offers opportunities of climbing. It resembles rocks and it can be experienced on different floors. People can walk around it, on the green paths or “climb” on it, going through the roof lane that crosses the entire building allowing entrances at different levels, to each function: the restaurant, the gym, Funtopia, the roof top bar, etc. Resembling a system of rocks, the building is part of the park, as much as the open air theatre, the boulders and Rocktopia. It is long and it permeates the site. Different paths, in the park, connect the site to the surrounding existing buildings. The Collider Activity Center modifies the landscape and offers opportunities for the positioning of other functions: the green-house, the swimming pool, the sun terrace. All these functions are visible from the street and invite people to enter and enjoy the space. The main entrance is open to the office building and to a first wooden ramp offering the possibility to explore the Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Center from the top, on the roof. It permits a direct entrance to the roof-top bar, where a beautiful terrace offers a panoramic view to the mountains. The roof is treated as a landscape: wooden walkways, green areas, terraces and coverings. From the roof, the green-house and the swimming pool are visible and from there it is possible to reach Rocktopia. In order to walk to the main entrance of the sporting area you pass along the office building ‘rock’ and close to the restaurant. From the parking area, you find a path going to the main sporting area’s entrance and another climbing on the roof. The sporting area hall crosses vertically all the building, and it also permits people to enter from the roof path. Inside the building, a long and irregular corridor allows people to reach all the functions having singular views to the climbing areas and to the site.
3 1. External view 2. 1F Plan 3. Longitudinal Section
Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Luxury Hotel and SPA - project co-signed with Kuma Kengo
year: 2017-1018 location: Courmayeur, Italy function: 5 stars Luxury Hotel and SPA scale: 8,000.00 sqm client: Reba Hotels s.r.l. Construction cost: 20,000,000.00 Euro design team: co-signed Kuma Kengo and Lorena Alessio Attilio De Palma, Silvia Molinari, Claudio Baravalle design phases: preliminary design / project development project coordination (design management)
EX-PALACE BRON 5 stars Luxury Hotel and SPA Courmayeur, Italy – 2018
The new project and the creation of the new Palace Bron Hotel aims to create a contemporary architecture structure well embedded in the architectural tradition of the Valle D’Aosta region. The project is the result of a co-design between Lorena Alessio, Italian architect and Kengo Kuma, the very wellknown and appreciated Japanese architect. The concept is recalling a special sense of beauty, where Japanese delicateness and Italian atmosphere melt into a unique design. The emphasis of this project focuses on the connection with the surrounding, such as mountains and the breathtaking natural setting. The project involves the use of local and sustainable materials, as a continuous relation with the naturalistic surrounding, still defining a highly contemporary building. In fact, the exterior facade is featured by having long natural larch boards vertically positioned defining a unique aspect of the building and guarantying interior privacy. Most of the hotel rooms enjoy an overview at the beautiful Mount Blanc, while others overlook an intimate larches wood. Rooms are supplied with cosy private spas and they are characterized by having different themes to meet the client’s comfort and requirements. The themes are: sport, party and family. The building is composed like a “chest”, surrounded by nature and designed to blend with the woods. Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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Office Headquarter
year: 2018 location: Torino, Italy function: offices headquarter scale: 27,700.00 smq client: State Property Agency in collaboration with Torino City Council design team: - Benedetto Camerana (Camerana & Partners) - Alfonso Femia (Atelier(s)), Milan Ingegneria s.r.l. - For Engineering Architecture - Lorena Alessio (lorenaalessioarchitetti) Silvia Molinari, Jacopo Donato design phases: masterplanning / preliminary design two phases international competition Awards • Second Prize
FEDERAL BUILDING EX CASERMA AMIONE, TORINO – 2018
Ex-Caserma Amione Masterplanning and Architectural Competition asked for a program with contemporary solutions for the future new public headquarter of Torino City Council. Being inserted in a semi-central area of Turin, the competition asked for a deep study about the relation of the new buildings with the neighborhood for a complete integration. It also recalled for a well-thought relationships with the existing building to be maintained. Most of the existing buildings could be removed with the exception of the most historical one. Located in an ex-industrial area, the proposal recalls the historical industrial shed hosting office buildings. Some of them have wide open spaces for lobbies, waiting areas, distribution spaces, but also functions as space with micro-climate. On different levels stairs connect conference rooms and informal meeting spaces, enhancing the capacity of physical and visual connection among different floors. laa has specifically worked on the office space concept and lay-out. While designing the office space, high consideration has been posed on the people psychological and physical comfort. Correct use of natural and artificial light has been defined, screening glassed façade and carefully considering use of lights and shadows. Views on gardens and green spaces are widely provided to increase visual relation with nature and open spaces. Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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1. Internal view 2. External Masterplan and Elevation 3. Office lay-out, Ground Floor Plan
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Hostel
year: 2018 location: Moncalieri, Torino, Italy function: hostel scale: 4,600.00 smq client: Torino Luce Hostel - San Giustino s.r.l. construction cost: 5,500,000.00 Euro design team: Lorena Alessio Attilio De Palma, Silvia Molinari, Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Laura Padron Rodriguez, Rocco Scuzzarella art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design / project development / project coordination (design management)
TORINO LUCE HOSTEL Moncalieri TO – 2018
Starting from a reconversion of a residential and commercial building into a hostel, the project provides an innovative and contemporary concept for a new generation of travelers. The hostel has a unique image with different kind of functions melting into each other. TLH Hostel is plenty of private and shared spaces, going from Ground Floor to B2, where different common spaces take place, such as Restaurant, Cafè, Events/Working/ Relax Areas.The rooftop is hosting a lounge bar, a green terrace, laundry room, common areas and small units creating 5 new rooms. The room type floor has double rooms, 2 and 3 bunk beds. The total beds number is 330. The façade is completely re-furbished with double height spaces hosting greenery, trees, extra rooms spaces, solar and green houses. Sustainability is a key factor for the redevelopment and the chosen materials into the hostel. The façade’s extension is provided by a prefabricated wooden system. Special relation has been created between Piazza Bengasi, Corso Roma and the courtyard: from Ground Floor wide voids permit views and lights into B2. Restaurant/Event Area at B2, has light from two sides of the building and a generous height defines an impressive space.
Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture
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3 1. External view 2. Ground Floor Plan 3. Rooftop Plan 4. Cross Section
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Main Works • Masterplanning and Urban Design • Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture • Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity • Technological Innovation
Torino / Taichung / New York
www.lorenaalessio.com
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Commercial / Restaurant chain Re-styling
year: 2019 - 2020 location: Tokyo, Japan function: restaurant scale: several restaurants 150-250 sqm client: Saizeriya Co. Ltd. design team: Lorena Alessio Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Francesca Di Nuzzo, Gioele Cammarere art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: interior and exterior design /preliminary design / development design n. 26 realized restaurants in Tokyo
SAIZERIYA Tokyo, Japan – 2019/on going
Chic&Glam/Bollicine is elegant, relaxing, funny, party. And an immersion into green, cool and romantic nature and atmosphere. C&G defines three concepts: Romantico Romantico is like entering an Italian old house, where being pampered, coddled. When entering the restaurant light pink and green colors at walls give a welcoming image that turns into cuddling feelings expressed by the background in gold, orange, darker pink and red colors. The change of colors and themes is given by use of wall papers with geometrical drawings and colorful roses. Sparkling and fizzing bubbles as printed images on tables and glass walls introduce a glam effect. Lamps recall dining room at home, where families get together, the Italian family and affections. Avvolgente Avvolgente is like the essence of a garden, my grandmother garden, but also the living room at her house. Wallpaper recall her roses, light nuances. When into the restaurant, background colors at walls become greener, we are into her garden. The garden has views (the wallpaper at the angle); the living room has mirrors doubling the space, but also enlarging time with memories. Memories are enclosed in frames, small and large frames of old times. Lighting too, reflects and deforms space: space is glam, is glamour, is feeling. Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity
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Printed images on tables recall her living room curtains with an added glam, shining light: memories of all the parties we shared with my relatives.
3 1. Affascinante internal view 2. Wallpaper design 3. Avvolgente internal view
Affascinante Affascinante is losing ourselves into cities. We enter in new worlds, where we can go deeper in understanding them. From lighter colors to deeper ones. Recalling new world, new possibilities, the beauty of an “always changing” life. Background color is silver, like a new territory, a new discovering land, a fabulous moment. It can be a beautiful summer, a wonderful dinner. Printed images on tables redefine a new and shining space. Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity
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Commercial / Restaurant chain Re-styling
year: 2013 - 2016 location: Tokyo, Japan function: restaurant scale: restaurants from 150.00 to 250.00 sqm client: Saizeriya Co. Ltd. construction cost: 350,000.00 Euro – up to 500,000.00 Euro each unit of 150 sqm design team: Lorena Alessio Silvio Marsanic, Elena Abbate, Chiara Brusati, Veronica Comba art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: corporate identity guidelines manual / prototype restaurant / preliminary design / project development / graphic design / corporate identity / signage / furnitures design
SAIZERIYA Tokyo, Japan – 2013/2016
The new style for Saizeriya’s restaurant chain derives from analysis and inspiration taken from Italian lifestyle, Italian arts and Italian Industrial Design products. The re-styling concepts is strongly linked to colors resulting from Italian landscapes: small cities overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, vineyards, wheat fields, olive groves. Cities and landscapes images are part of the interior design, in a dialogue with walls’ colors and finishing. Restaurants lay-out is characterized by the so-called “islands”, which can be alternated in ‘islands’ of ‘wheat’, ‘grape’, and ‘olive’. Each of them having different sets of colors. The result is a unique image of re-styling, allowing a variety and flexibility in Interior Design. Given the high number of restaurants, Saizeriya corporation will have the opportunity to differentiate each restaurant, still having a unique image and concept.
Awards • Selected and Published through national competition in “Architecture: energy for Made in Italy”, 2015 by IN/ARCH for the Italian Ministry of Economic Development
a. Corporate Identity Guidelines Manual (Architectural Design, Corporate Image, Graphics). The manual will be used by Saizeriya corporation to communicate the design to its staff and to implement future restaurant’s refurbishing.
• Selected Project in THE PLAN AWARD 2015
b. Prototype Restaurant and refurbishing of existing restaurants In 2013 in Tokyo a prototype restaurant was realized in order to verify materials, construction methods, costs. Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity
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During the first six months after refurbishing, the restaurant’s performance achieved +30% of selling. Following the results, other restaurants have been designed and refurbished. Some of them are in self-standing single buildings, others are in commercial center, with restaurants on one or two floors.
3 1. 2. 3. Internal views
Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity
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Re-styling
year: 2011 - 2012 location: Maranello, Italy function: re-styling of ateliers and hospitality lounge scale: ateliers 1 and 2: 300 sqm hospitality room: 140 sqm client: Ferrari S.p.A. construction cost: ateliers 1 and 2: 631,000.00 Euro hospitality room: 309,000.00 Euro design team: Lorena Alessio with Benedetto Camerana Marco Brizio, Simona Della Rocca (competition phase) - Fabio Vignolo, Silvio Marsanic (execution phase) - Rosali Alessio (competition phase: graphics) internships: Kim Dong Woo, Park Yeoh Ho design phases: preliminary design (competition phase) / project development / construction drawings / construction site supervision
FERRARI Re-styling Maranello – 2011/2012
New amazingly lavish and elegant commercial spaces in Ferrari Maranello historical factory, right where Enzo Ferrari himself started producing sport cars from 1947. The Factory Tour Hospitality and Atelier 1 and 2 have been selected after a shortlisted consultation. Atelier 1 and 2 are two twin lounges next to each other where Ferrari clients are showed the model they want to buy, displayed in a large room surrounded by all kind of color samples, fittings and accessories to be selected to fit their own personalized purchase. The team answered Ferrari’s aspiring requests for Atelier spaces with a strongly corporate customized interior design, at the same time highly sensual and technically innovative. On one side, the excitingly winding designed large red leather display walls, conceived as an off scale Ferrari interior. On the other side, the amazingly effective lighting system, based on a large double layered ceiling, from which a very strong led strip originated diffused light (alternatively warm and/or cold) spreads spotlessly over car bodywork. All design details have been perfectly transformed in reality by Italian contractors selected and proposed by laa/BC(C&P).
Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity
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2 1. 2. Atelier internal views
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Main Works • Masterplanning and Urban Design • Architectural Design & Landscape Architecture • Re-styling, Interior Design and Brand Identity • Technological Innovation
Torino / Taichung / New York
www.lorenaalessio.com
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Community Center
year: 2016 - 2018 location: Accumoli (RI) function: Community Center scale: 185 smq client: H.E.L.P. 6.5 – Housing in Emergency for Life and People 6.5 construction cost: 340,000.00 Euro design team: Lorena Alessio Carola Novara, Francesca Turnaturi, Chiara Mezzasalma and students from Politecnico di Torino Technology in cooperation with Hiroto Kobayashi, Keio University/KMDW and Akira Suzuki, A.S.A. art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design / project development / construction drawings / construction site supervision Awards • Exhibited Project at 16th International Architecture Exhibition Venice Biennale 2018 – Archipelago Italia Italian Pavilion • Mention at THE PLAN AWARD 2018
“Accupoli” is the new Community Center built for the people of Accumoli, who suffered from a series of earthquakes in 2016. It is the first structure in plywood in Italy, born from the collaboration between laa/H.E.L.P. 6.5 Association and Hiroto Kobayashi Lab from Keio University/KMDW. It is the result of a social project which involved Compagnia di San Paolo and ACRI, plus many technical partners including ANIEM Piemonte (National Association Construction and Manufacturing Business). The building is completely earthquake-proof. It was built with combination of design and technology starting from Digital Fabrication technics. The structure is totally dry, light, versatile and reversible; it can be quickly assembled and disassembled and it is recyclable. It can be adapted to different emergency situation where the speed of construction is one of the fundamental requests as well as the possibility to reuse the building somewhere else. The space covers about 185 square meters composed by a bigger area hosting conferences, meetings, concerts and a smaller zone with entrance hall, bathrooms and kitchen. The semi-transparent facades recalls a lamp, a light of hope among temporary houses provided by National Civil Protection.
ACCUPOLI, COMMUNITY CENTER Accumoli – 2016/2018 Technological Innovation
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1. West Elevation 2. Cross Section 3. External view 4. Kitchen
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Office/ Showroom and Warehouse
year: 2019 on going location: Canale d’Alba, Italy function: showroom, offices scale: 160 smq client: E. Vigolungo S.p.A. cost: 280,000.00 Euro design team: Lorena Alessio Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Attilio De Palma, Laura Padron Rodriguez, Alessia Sciotto art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design / project development / construction drawings / furniture design / site construction supervision
CVC Canale – 2019/2021
CVC - Canale Vigolungo Cento is an experimental project exploring the potential of poplar plywood for the construction of prefabricated portal structures. laa’s research has resulted in the patenting of a new joint intended to apport considerable advantages in drywall construction. laa adopted this new joint for the construction of a 160 sqm building, intended to house a large exhibition space and offices for the Italian company E. Vigolungo S.p.A. The design of prefabricated of wooden structures is a theme already addressed in the architectural field, which today is experiencing renewed interest being considered a strategic factor in the sustainability development. On the basis of this consideration, laa has individuated in the redesigning of the joint component, a key element for the evolution of dry construction. A research also opening on the use of poplar plywood as a structural material. CVC consists of two sleeves, respectively 4 and 6 meters, within an event area with showroom, office space and ancillaries. The building has full-height windows on the south and north sides, from which it is possible to enjoy the view of the Roero hills. The building is composed for about 70% of poplar plywood, a material used in the structural frame designed by two types of portals. Each portal is composed of a plurality of elements cut with CNC machines and connected together by joints. The joint elements, the braces and the infills are completely made of poplar plywood, while the acoustic and thermal Technological Innovation
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insulation packages are made of wood fiber. The structure is completed by a ventilated roof covered in aluminum. The use of prefabricated and connected elements, avoiding additional components, allows to have a building almost totally mono-material, ensuring greater ease and speed of transport and installation, assembly and disassembly. In addition to these advantages given by the peculiarity of the structural system developed, there are the technological advantages intrinsic to poplar plywood. Considered a not very resistant material, and therefore not suitable to play a structural role, in CVC poplar plywood plays a central role. Lightweight, light shaded coloring and easy to work, this type of plywood has almost unique characteristics in terms of appearance and often superior to those of many panels, made using other wood species. Poplar is not only a technically interesting material, but also a sustainable one. Characterized by a short renewability cycle, the poplar tree develops completely in about ten years and does not exhaust agriculture lands. Moreover, it is a plant species available on the national territory, acting as flooding regulator, bio-filter and greenhouse effect mitigator. CVC is therefore a project that addresses the issue of technological innovation combined with sustainable architecture, which aims to develop a building whose sustainability is maintained during all phases of the life cycle. From the production phase of the individual elements, to the disposal of the structure.
1. 2. Esternal views
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Minimum residential unit
year: 2020 - on going location: Montiglio Monferrato, Italy function: Retreat for Silence scale: 20 sqm client: Fondazione Salus Hominis cost: 50,000.00 Euro design team: Lorena Alessio Samuel Fiolis, Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Alessia Sciotto graphics 3D: Giada Daga design phases: preliminary design / development design / construction drawings
RETREAT FOR SILENCE Montiglio Monferrato, Italy – 2020/on going
Located in Piedmont (Italy), the Retreat for Silence is an individual sacred space, immersed in nature, intended for research and meditation. The considerable presence of Romanesque churches in the Asti area acts as inspiration for the shape and orientation of the building within the site. In laa’s experimentation, the profound religious symbolism is absorbed and reinterpreted in a contemporary key to adapt the Romanesque features to contemporary functionality, optimizing the building’s performance. As in Romanesque architecture, the hermitage turns its “apse” eastwards to capture the morning light. The layout of the interior functions and the resulting asymmetry led the structure’s portals to take on a more pronounced configuration on the South side: the decision to arrange the living spaces along this side is linked to the needs of enjoying light and heat of the sun, as well as defining a larger surface area on the roof for the solar and photovoltaic panels. Inside, the space developed within an internal tripartition enriched by symbolic elements. The first block links the exterior to the interior of the building. The staircase anticipating the small entrance are designed as an additional space to enjoy contact with the outside landscape. The central volume is dedicated to the study and personal care: on the right, the external washbasin leads to the toilet area, while on the left a table on the wall provides an intimate atmosphere, suitable for reflection Technological Innovation
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and reading. A sliding door separates this space from the third zone: the sacred area. Located at the back of the building, this last corner is distinguished by its enveloping and luminous atmosphere, enclosed in the semi-hexagonal space of the apse opening onto the hills. The luminosity of the sacred area is enriched not only by the central glass window in the apse, but also by two openings on the roof set on the North and South sides, which, passing through the fiberglass weave closing the sliding partition, create plays of light inside the living space. The retreat is composed of four portals, with a span of 3 m and a center-to-center distance of 1.55 m, marking out the interior. The Retreat for Silence is currently being defined as being part of the wider “PoplyHouse” project, which offers a new construction solution for modular structures, suitable for different functions.
2 1. External view 2. Internal view
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laa - lorenaalessioarchitetti Via Cernaia, 27 10121 Torino, Italy tel. +39 011 5856341 info@lorenaalessio.com www.lorenaalessio.com www.linkedin.com/company/laa-lorena-alessio-architetti/ www.instagram.com/laa_italy/
laa @ L.A. Lab - Taichung - Taiwan No.23, Jingcheng 9th St., West Dist. Taichung City, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 403 tel. +886 988 681909 / +886 423 016112 info@lorenaalessio.com
laa @ D2A STUDIO, LLC - New York - U.S.A. 130 Seventh Avenue, suite 337 New York, New York 10011, U.S.A. tel. +1 212 5376614 info@lorenaalessio.com
Torino / Taichung / New York
www.lorenaalessio.com
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