Grappa Nardini - research & multimedia center

Two “worlds“: The first “suspended“, formed by two ellipsoidal transparent bubbles that enclose the laboratories of the research center, and the other “submerged“, a space carved in the earth like a natural canyon that accommodates an auditorium and a foyer. The ramp descending to the auditorium is the original matrix of the “canyon“ space. It is utilizable as an open-air platform, creating one big auditorium space to host larger events. The audience is surrounded by a landscape generated by the arrhythmic configuration of the inclined walls.
 A stainless steel lake, at ground level, is topped with roof lights like outsized water drops. The vast reflective surface of the steel creates reflections and brilliant repetitions of the entrance area under the belly of the two floating bubbles. The lean columns with varying inclinations, together with the inclined volume of the lift, create a dynamic tension.
The visitor is faced with a succession of shifting images created by the attuned asymmetry in the combination of diverse architectonical elements; The two juxtaposed ellipsoids, the inclined lift against the inclination of the staircase, the rotation of the entrance ramp.
The glass cladding of the two ellipsoids is a double skin partly transparent and partly translucent, that provides the viewer with a 360º view of the splendid landscape of Monte Grappa mountain.

Massimiliano Fuksas Architetto