Mock-up of a concrete pillar for Pirelli Learning Centre, Photo: Piercarlo Quecchia

Architectural references and citations of visual culture are embedded in the form, materiality, and ornamentation of a structure. This precast concrete column fragment from the Pirelli Learning Centre built in Milan in 2022 is a case in point.
 
The physicality of the column creates a strong reference to Italy’s interwar architecture culture. Its material form speaks to the innovation in construction techniques that characterised the period, while its ornamentation echoes that of the neighbouring Bicocca degli Arcimboldi villa. The abstract advertising of the tire-thread graphics imprinted on the column also illuminates the company’s history as well as the common culture.
 

Watch Angelo Lunati presenting the object at the TACK Conference here.

 
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Onsitestudio, the Milan-based firm founded in 2006 by Angelo Lunati and Giancarlo Floridi, values the bond between culture and professional practice. Recent works include the BEIC public library, Mapei Football Centre, Hotel Le Palace in Brussels, and Pirelli Learning Centre. Onsitestudio is a non-academic partner of the Tacit Knowledge Community.