giulio iacchetti invites five italian architects to design door handles for dnd

stefano boeri architetti, alfonso femia, maurizio varratta, cino zucchi and 967 arch have all been invited, for the first time, to design a door handle for dnd. each work represents a different perspective and angle on the verb ‘to design’, with results expected to be intermix of the unique and unexpected. to coincide with the brescia-based brand’s 50th birthday celebrations, the five designs will debut during the upcoming milan design week 2018.

stefano boeri architetti
all images courtesy of dnd

the five italian but internationally renowned architecture firms – stefano boeri architetti, alfonso femia, maurizio varratta, cino zucchi and 967 arch – are all led by architects who have never or seldom been involved in product design. instead, they are very accustomed to designing large spaces and operating on a completely different scale. as such, the challenge presented to them by dnd and their newly appointed artistic director, giulio iacchetti, proposed that they create the very first object people touch when entering a work of architecture.

alfonso femia

the process, which was closely monitored by iacchetti, stimulated the architects to consider the small object that every person handles multiple times on a daily basis, gripping it to move from outside to inside, from one space to another and back again. door handles demand placement in space, where they need to fit and balance their form with the aesthetics of the context. the resulting designs will be a mix of reinterpretations and original, unexpected forms, as well ones focused on the comfort of the hand and the accent of material.

maurizio varratta

located in the brera design district at the lualdi showroom, the exhibition of designs, ‘l’architettura per le mani / handling architecture’ will be open throughout the milan design week 2018 – april 17th to 22nd – and will be set up by architect francesco librizzi.

cino zucchi

967 arch