gianluca milesi architecture ami bar milano

BEHIND BARS page 56-57 | GfG - Gruppe für Gestaltung Café Maximilian | Leipzig - Germany

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Gianluca Milesi Architecture a_mi bar Milan, Italy

GfG / Gruppe für Gestaltung GfG is an interdisciplinary design and communications agency. The 45 members of the team work within an exciting field of creativity that includes innumerable categories of design, architecture and advertising. Their broad spectrum of work covers everything from design consultancy, communication concepts, market development and advertising to photography, corporate architecture and product design. ‘Our aim is to produce distinctive, innovative solutions,’ says executive partner Carsten Dempewolf, adding that such solutions are achieved through the company’s vast network of disciplines. ‘We combine strategic thinking, great variation in design and effective action for our clients,’ declares Dempewolf. Among those clients are InBev, BAT (British American Tobacco) and LSG (Lufthansa Service Gastronomy). Gastronomical projects are one of the firm’s specialities.

Information Client: Café Maximilian Manufacturer: Tischlerei Engel Maximum capacity: 53 seats Total floor area (m 2): 105 Total cost (�): 120,000 Duration of construction: 6 weeks Opening: December 2005 Designer GfG / Gruppe für Gestaltung Altes Zollamt / Waller Stieg 1 28217 Bremen Germany T: +49 421 3386 800 F: +49 421 3386 801 info@gfg-bremen.de www.gfg-bremen.de Project Café Maximilian Barfußgäßchen 12 04109 Leipzig Germany T: +49 341 3089 460 Mon - Sun: 10 am - 2 am

ABOVE: Optician Kunk | Dental office Dr. Pabst | Corporate design | Corporate design of Optician Kunk | Corporate design of Maximilian PHOTOGRAPHY | Thomas Kleiner

Milesi crafted a dynamic, fluid volume that stretches like a giant ribbon to the very top of the double-height space

BEHIND BARS page 58-59 | Gianluca Milesi Architecture a_mi bar | Milan - Italy

a_mi bar

White is the colour of milk, but no milk is served at a_mi, a trendy wine bar and restaurant in Milano-Bicocca, a former industrial zone currently undergoing urban renewal. White is the colour of snow, but not the slightest chill exists at a_mi.

Nonetheless, white and other cool tints characterize the interior of this unique venue.

Text by Monica Zerboni Photography by Gianna Caravello and Atelier Gluck

‘The brief asked for a flexible space with a character and functions that would adapt to any crowd on any evening. The target group was a trendy, design-orientated public. But, at the same time, we didn’t want to discourage locals from popping in for a drink,’ says Gianluca Milesi, the architect responsible for the a_mi bar and restaurant and a professional with a solid background based on work done with and for internationally renowned architecture practices. Milesi takes a multidisciplinary approach to design, with a strong emphasis on the artistic aspects of architecture. In the case of the a_mi, an establishment located in Milano-Bicocca, his design focused on a sculptural concept that materializes in a single grand gesture. In the L-shaped interior, which faces a public plaza, Milesi crafted a dynamic, fluid volume that stretches like a giant ribbon to the very top of the double-height space.

‘Imagine a structure that originates at a precise point and takes a three-dimensional route on its way to another, final, point, where it is attached to the structural beams above,’ says the architect. ‘It never touches the walls.’ Nearly wrapping the entire space, the ribbon moves along, accommodating a series of practical functions as it travels. Beginning its ascension, it provides the interior with a cash desk; after dipping and merging with the floor, it pops up to become the bar counter. Snaking forwards, it climbs to create a mezzanine-level restaurant before dropping, levelling out and turning into a long cocktail table. Both architectural and decorative, the ribbon is a compact, self-contained structure, an articulated body that separates and unites the various, flexible functions of a_mi, from the ground-floor wine bar and cocktail area to the more intimate

Previous page: The architect used contemporary industrial materials like steel, concrete, metallic paint and Plexiglas.

Top: The bar counter is a snakelike element supported by sturdy, concrete columns.

Bottom: A sophisticated balance of light and darkness dominates the interiors and emphasizes the sculptural style of the project.

BEHIND BARS page 60-61 | Gianluca Milesi Architecture a_mi bar | Milan - Italy

restaurant on the mezzanine. From outside, a row of fully glazed windows draws the attention of passers-by to the twisting volume that, even from a distance, is clearly recognizable as the highlight of the place.

‘My clients, two young businessmen from the hospitality industry, asked me to design a space with a strong character that would reflect a cool and distinctive image,’ says Milesi. To achieve that objective, the architect not only relied on his personal passion for sculpture, but also took advantage of contemporary industrial materials: steel, concrete, metallic paint, Plexiglas and a generous amount of glass. The meandering sculpture is made of MDF panels that were shaped, assembled and mounted on a steel skeleton before getting a coat of grey metallic paint.

Epoxy-resin-treated concrete was used for floors, staircase and sturdy columns, which support the sculpture at the centre of the room. The bar has a Plexiglas backdrop, and glass partitions were used in rest rooms and kitchen. Glass was also chosen for staircase railings and for illuminated ‘islands’ marking points at which the sculpture rises from the floor.

Never abandoning his eye for detail, the architect designed tables, stools and sofas to enhance the desired ambience and to accentuate the clean, somewhat futuristic style of the interior. The result is a contemporary and flawlessly smooth look. Yet Milesi’s emotional approach to architecture has produced a bar and restaurant that are far from being cold and impersonal. A warm, inviting atmosphere attracts a young, casual crowd as well as more sophisticated visitors aware of the quality of the interior design.

Reinforced by the architecture, the image of a_mi bar radiates the general philosophy of the place. The logo appearing on the windows features spare graphic elements that reveal the architect’s involvement in today’s digital culture. And the cool palette, which ranges from snowwhite to metal-grey, underpins his goal for the project: to create a place where competent design and functionality join forces to proclaim the importance of good architecture.

From the street fully glazed windows draw attention to the twisting inner element stretching through the double-height space.

BEHIND BARS page 62-63 | Gianluca Milesi Architecture a_mi bar | Milan - Italy

1 meter

FLOOR PLAN: 01. BAR | 02. Lounge | 03. Dining area | 04. Kitchen | 05. Lavatories | 06. Storage Top: Custom-designed tables, stools and chairs match with the clean, somewhat futuristic ambience.

Bottom: The restrooms also radiate a clean, smooth atmosphere.

BEHIND BARS page 64-65 | Gianluca Milesi Architecture a_mi bar | Milan - Italy

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Humà Design + Architecture The Beatles Revolution Lounge Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Gianluca Milesi Architecture Gianluca Milesi can point to years of experience gained on the job with internationally renowned designers such as Peter Eisenmann and Vittoriano Vigano.

Milesi’s current work reveals an artistic slant and a multidisciplinary approach to architecture. He takes a particular interest in 21st-century digital culture and technology, two areas that are an obvious part of his stylistic signature. His office – previously in New York but now located in Milan – has produced a number of projects for public buildings, parks and interiors. Research, digital experimentation and international competitions are also crucial facets of his work.

Highlights of his career to date are participation in the Venice Biennale 2000 and a solo exhibition – Spaced Out, Gianluca Milesi, Architectural Exercises – which was held in Florence in 2003.

Milesi contributes to several architecture magazines and is the coauthor of New York: The Gap, a guidebook on contemporary architecture in New York. He is the curator of the architectural section of Multimedia: International Festival of Electronic Culture, an annual event held in Milan at Hangar Bicocca. Milesi’s practice is presently involved in the design and construction of residential and industrial buildings, as well as commercial interior projects in Italy.

Information Client: Marco Cattaneo, Stefano Ricci and Sergio Zappella Engineer: Stefano Landi (EOS) Manufacturers: Impresa Tiziano Novelli and Saturnia Maximum capacity: 120 seats Total floor area (m 2): 350 Total cost (C): 300,000 Duration of construction: 5 months Opening: September 2006 Designer Gianluca Milesi Architecture Via Pancaldo 4 20129 Milan Italy T: +33 02 201 352 info@science-architecture.com www.science-architecture.com Project a_mi bar Via Piero e Alberto Pirelli 14 20100 Milan Italy T: +39 02 6427 499 info@amibar.it www.amibar.it Tue - Sun: 11 am - 2 am ABOVE: Cellophane project | Glass Museum in Taiwan | Museum in Castelmola | House for Porsche desert | Mixed Media Installation in Milan | Temporary Store in Porto Cervo

‘ The inspiration for Revolution began with The Beatles’ message of love, but the atmosphere is a modern twist on their era of freedom’ Jean-Francois Bouchard