In 1979, Alessandro Mendini invited eleven architects from around the world to design a tea and coffee set: Michael Graves, Hans Hollein, Charles Jencks, Richard Meier, Paolo Portoghesi, Aldo Rossi, Stanley Tigerman, Robert Venturi, Kazumasa Yamashita, Mendini himself, and myself. A microarchitecture exercise where the various architectural styles of the time were expressed. The result was presented under the name Tea & Coffee Piazza and 99 copies were made in silver and marked with the monogram of each author.

My proposal was not formalistic or decorative, like most, but based on a thorough study of the history of teapots, of how applied arts had solved the problem of containing and pouring hot liquid. I discovered how the spout, which must emerge from the lower part of the container—where the liquid is denser, less hot—has been shortened and moved towards the upper part, progressively losing its length. This was due to the difficulty of making an independent piece and having to weld it to the base, to the point that many teapots ended up making a small notch on their upper edge to pour the liquid, with the consequent problems of imprecise pouring and the inevitable dripping. Alberto lamented the degradation of the becco.

The Oronda is born from the conjunction of two stamped parts, one containing the spout in its center and the other elongated and folded to form a comfortable handle. Both halves are welded together along their common perimeter. The set is completed with a sugar bowl, a milk jug and a tray. The lid of the sugar bowl is perfectly circular, the spoon slips out through the gap in the handle. The tray is arched to adapt to the position of the hands, fan-shaped, and has two lateral folds that serve as handles.

It should be noted that, of the eleven sets presented, the only one that was put into production was mine, which is understandable since I was the architect most concerned about possible industrial production. I remember that when Alberto saw my preliminary project he urgently called Zio Ettore (the head of production) and told him:“Finally an architect brings us a feasible project.”

Delta de Plata 1986

In the collections of: Victoria & Albert Museum, Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts and Museu de las Arts Decoratives de Barcelona.

(Out of production)