Casa Ideale

Piazza degli Affari, Milán 2002

 

with Katja Eckardt

 

During the Salone del Mobile de Milano in 2002, the magazine Interni organised “Interni in Piazza”, an exhibition that took place in various quarters of the city. The exhibition consisted of seven interventions by international architects on the theme of the contemporary habitat, namely Mendini, Eisenman, Fuksas, Klein & Dytham, Krier, Tschumi and OTB. OTB’s proposal, entitled “La Casa Ideal”, or “The Ideal Home”, while very schematic, was forceful, consisting of a 8 x 6 x 5 metre prism, the interior of which was conceived as a receptacle for the lives and memories of its inhabitants.

Its intentions were clearly described in the accompanying text, “My house will have windows, not a curtain wall; various spaces, not a single space; different furniture, not one piece of furniture (Corbu’s chaise-longue); various styles, not the minimalist style; pictures, not bare walls; family memories, not total amnesia.” The prototype was built in the Piazza degli Affari from a prefabricated structure made by the RDB company and it was furnished with pieces by Driade.