The 57th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will explore the relationship between nature and living with an exhibition-installation designed to trigger ideas about sustainable design in the internal and external parts of the home. The Salone’s city-based technological project Living Nature. La Natura dell’Abitare developed with the Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) international design and innovation studio, will be in Piazza del Duomo, in front of Palazzo Reale, from 17th to 25th April.
A single 500m2 space, conceived with energy saving criteria in mind, will contain four natural, climactic microcosms that will enable all four seasons of the year to unfold at precisely the same time, one next to the other. Visitors will be immersed in nature and experience its changes as they make their way through the four different areas – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn – embellished with familiar and domestic concepts.
The project, conceived by CRA with Barbara Römer, does not fail to deliver in terms of ironic, evocative and experiential value. Quite the reverse. While the obvious aim is the reconciliation between urban and domestic spaces on one hand and nature on the other, the end goal is to come up with sustainable, genuinely applicable solutions that replicate the processes inherent in our own ecosystem, harnessing existing technological advances in an intelligent manner. While air conditioning is often associated with excessive consumption, this project offers a radical change of perspective, demonstrating the feasibility of air conditioning technology that is also sustainable, with huge potential for future applications.
The 5-metre-high pavilion will consist of a responsive Crystal membrane fitted with lightreactive sensors that enable the internal climatic conditions to be carefully regulated. A series of organic photovoltaic panels, equipped with latest generation solar cells inspired by chlorophyll photosynthesis, will be integrated into the roof, providing the energy required to keep the winter area cold. A heat exchange system draws on this energy to heat the summer area.
With this event, the Salone del Mobile.Milano is keen to make its contribution to the regreening of the city, albeit temporary. Living Nature. La Natura dell’Abitare is designed to explore whether or not a space, urban or domestic, can become more human-friendly through the sustainable use of natural resources.
*Credits & Info
Concept Design: Carlo Ratti Associati & Studio Römer
Design Development: Carlo Ratti Associati
Scenography: Studio Römer
Engineering Consultants: Ai Studio
Landscape and Botanics: Patrick Blanc Flavio Pollano
Construction: PAC Team Expo
Graphics: studio FM milano
17 th – 25th April Piazza del Duomo 10am – 10pm