michele de lucchi named A&W designer of the year at imm cologne

micheledelucchinamedA&Wdesigneroftheyearatimmcologne
image © designboom

since 1997, A&W magazine has been annually acknowledging a creative working in the disciplines of architecture or design, who has made a substantial contribution to their field. presented on the occasion of imm cologne, the ‘A&W designer of the year’ is granted a large solo exhibition which takes visitors on a journey through their career development — spanning their most significant projects from the past and at current. the 2015 ‘A&W designer of the year’ is italian architect michele de lucchi (aMDL), whose portfolio of work ranges from small furniture objects, to involvement in several large museum projects across europe.

model of the ‘unicredit pavilion’ by aMDL
wooden model
scale 1:100
image © designboom

de lucchi studied architecture in florence, and upon graduation, joined a number of radical design groups, first with cavart in padua, followed by alchimia in milan, and then as a co-founder of memphis in 1980. over the course of his career he has conceived furniture for many established italian and european companies such as alias, alessi, artemide, baccarat, hermès, kartel, riva 1920 and sèvres. from 1992 to 2002, he served as the director of design for olivetti, and developed a number of experimental projects for compaq computers, philips, siemens and vitra.

conceptual model of the ‘unicredit pavilion’ rendered from oak realized by riva 1920
image © designboom

the ferrara-born de lucchi’s architectural works have included the restoration of the triennale in milan, the interior design and graphics of the neues museum in berlin, and le gallerie d’italia piazza scala, in milan. more recently, he has been involved in a number of private and public projects in georgia, like the bridge of peace in tbilisi, and public service building in batumi; and is in the process of completing the ‘unicredit pavilion’ in milan which is set to open in summer of 2015, along with a number of structures for the upcoming expo.

concept sketch of the unicredit pavilion by michele de lucchi, 2014
pencil on paper
image © designboom

michele de lucchi’s professional work is an explorative overlap of architecture, design, crafts and technology. from 2004, he began using a chainsaw to sculpt small wooden models in which he has developed the essence of his architectural style. these hand carved pieces formed the basis of his ‘A&W designer of the year’ exhibition, offering an overview of the artistic sensibility and technical rigor he possesses, which have defined his career.

‘the haystack’ installation for the milan expo 2015 by aMDL
wooden model
scale 1:50
image © designboom

‘mowing the grass, bundling the hay, first in sheaves and then in haystacks are the steps in a traditional task that have fallen into disuse. the work nevertheless remains in our collective understanding as a symbol of the urge and the poetry of preparing for the future, for the cold winter months.

the haystack’s form is an architectural shape par excellence – pure, essential, unique.

agorà is a 12-sided pavilion built of 12 identical wooden elements. it was designed for diverse purpose such as group discussions, project presentations, demonstrations, exhibitions and theater and music events that will be offered as part of [the milan] expo.’ – michele de lucchi, 2013

‘the haystack’ is comprised of 12 identical wooden modules
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conceptual model in oak, realized by riva 1920
image © designboom

conceptual sketch of ‘the haystack’ by aMDL
image © designboom

conceptual of ‘the haystack’ by aMDL, 2013
graphite and colored pencil on paper
image © designboom

installation view of ‘the haystack’ at milan’s castello sforzesco
photo by alessandra chemollo, courtesy of aMDL

conceptual model of ‘the trunk’ office building in oak by aMDL, realized by riva 1920
image © designboom

‘deep in the black forest, rays of light boldly pierce the latticed canopy of treetops and fall into the underbrush. soft as a sponge, the undergrowth is laid out for the ascent toward the light. when you step out of the train station in pforzheim, germany, the first think you see is the contour of the tree trunk that gives the building its shape. the details are served, but the overall form is captivating. constructed of rough bricks like those used in ancient times, the office block is organic and wavy in keeping with contemporary taste. the building has three main façades, none of which is more important than the other, three entrances and 277 floor-to-ceailing windows. it is a lovely building, solidly built on a foundation of bunter sandstone from the local area. like the fir trees of the black forest.’ – michele de lucchi, 2014

detail of the conceptual wooden model
image © designboom