The Excelsior in Milan by Jean Nouvel
Being world-famous for creating remarkable building exteriors can sometimes be a drag for a star architect like Jean Nouvel. 'When Stefano Beraldo (CEO of Gruppo Coin) called me, he asked if I could just do the façade,' Nouvel notes of the Excelsior, his latest retail architectural project that debuted yesterday in Milan. 'I said, "No, I can't just do the façade." When I work on a building I have to create the relationship between the exterior and everything else that goes on inside.' Luckily, Beraldo saw the light. Annexing a forgotten corner of the city's grand Galleria del Corso, Nouvel has transformed a dusty old movie theatre into a 7-storey fashion, food and design emporium - his very first architectural imprint on the city of Milan.
Naturally, the façade is a stand-out feature. Razor sharp glazed aluminium slats are slightly angled to give a fiery peep show of fractured images projected from the LED screens that run along balustrades. 'I didn't want to reveal the images directly,' Nouvel insists, 'I wanted them to be temporal, as if they were sliding behind a window.'
Inside, the French architect has coated the walls of the old theatre with reflective paints that jump at the light beaming off LED screens. Each floor is disconnected from the perimeter, as if floating, and the multitude of balconies evoke the site's former theatre self.
Nouvel wasn't the only big name lured by the new retail project. Antonia Giacinti - owner of the Antonia multi-brand stores located in the city - served as a buying consultant, ensuring that cool labels such as Haider Ackermann, Proenza Schouler, Altuzarra and Isabel Marant finally found a home in Milan. Vincenzo De Cotiis coordinated the floor design, which features wood and steel fixtures as well as polished cement block displays. Finally, Davide Oldani, the hot shot chef behind D'O, served as a food consultant for the bottom two basement levels which feature take-out, bistro and restaurant services, plus a food market to rival the gloss and prices found at Peck.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
JJ Martin
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published