挑戰迷宮

By Alessandro Cannavò

眾所周知，米蘭是一座“慢熱型”城市。只有愿意花時間去探索和研究她的人，才能慢慢地感受到這座城市一點一滴的魅力。要想真正了解米蘭，洞悉其庭院設計是一個不錯的途徑。貴族式建筑，一般外表線條細膩，其庭院里卻隱藏著浪漫芬芳的花園。另一些庭院則凸顯出人類辛勤的勞作和技藝，適合家庭生活和勞動作業。踏進Piuarch位于米蘭布雷拉區中心地帶的工作室時，就會有這樣的感受。庭院內，在Via Palermo 辦公區入口，就是設計簡單的大樓，厚重的鐵門和幾何形狀的大理石裝飾，看起來有點超自然的感覺，這種布置著實超乎人們的想象。這里原是一個印刷廠，附近是《意大利晚郵報》報社，可以想象過去每到晚上，這里的印刷機與報社的各種機器就會產生此起彼伏的噪聲。走進這里，幾乎就能感受到人們忙碌的工作，到處充斥著機器聲和油墨味。而大型閣樓中卻是一片沉靜景象。閣樓中間是樓梯，通往樓上。樓上的一張張大桌子上還堆放著剛剛結束的會議文件。這里也可以用于舉行其它社交聚會活動。其它地方擺著各種建筑設計比例模型，有中國的，俄羅斯的，也有黎巴嫩和法國的。大約有40名員工在這里上班，包括四個創始合伙人，九個普通合伙人以及一些年輕建筑師和工程師。最開始的時候，四個創始合伙人認為，他們像是在倉庫里舉行即興演奏會一樣——大家都進行即興創作，充分發揮創造力。后來，小樂隊逐漸發展成大樂團。

在這里，無論是時間還是職責，幾乎都不會進行等級劃分。盡管這里也有計算機和各種3D儀器，但總體上還是以人為工作為主。這是由設計工作的本質屬性決定的：在這里，建筑從根本上說是一種工藝，面對亂花漸欲的虛擬現實依然能夠幸存，是一種驕傲。再往上，是平坦的樓頂，這里又會有新的發現。近年來，事務所樓頂灌溉著一座空中花園。花園中的植物根據季節而變。2016年空中花園進行了“動力學”改造，色系搭配從原來的紅加綠（萵苣），變為橙加藍（三色堇）。一排排的植物按顏色交替分布，形成一種認為的動態效應。類似于委內瑞拉動態藝術大師Carlos Cruz-Diez 的作品。在庭院內舊印刷廠樓頂，蔬菜與花卉形成一幅獨特的畫面，這就是Piuarch建筑師事務所的重要標識之一。Gino Paoli 的歌中唱到“我們是酒吧四友，我們想要改變世界……”。這正描述了 Francesco Fresa、Germán Fuenmayor、Gino Garbellini 及 Monica Tricario 創立事務所的初衷。20世紀90年代，四個有著不同背景的人相識于米蘭Gregotti公司。Fresa，來自于羅馬，柏林建筑學院畢業。Fuenmayor，來自于委內瑞拉，曾在加拉加斯和米蘭就學。Garbellini，來自于意大利瓦爾泰利納地區，米蘭工藝學校工程學畢業。Tricario曾在米蘭工藝學校學習，導師Achille Castiglioni。幾番談話與交流之后，他們驚訝地發現彼此有著共同的追求——將動感藝術與建筑融為一體。

他們喜歡 Getulio Alviani 為 Alberto Biasi 設計的 “Gruppo N e T”，同時也欣賞南美 Cruz-Diez、Jesús Soto,、Julio Le Parc 以及 Gertrude ?Gego? Goldschmidt的作品。

杜嘉班納（Dolce&Gabbana）總部和其位于米蘭的舊電影院的改造就體現了這種藝術開放性帶來的美學特征。垂直的鋼筋立面，閃閃發光，很好地體現出其視覺風格——建筑外形隨觀眾的運動而變。圣彼德堡俄羅斯天然氣工業股份公司（Gazprom）總部大樓采用彩色玻璃板建造，并且玻璃板的角度各不相同，形成一種特殊的碎片感和折射效應。真實與虛幻相互交織。獨特的風格使建筑格外引人注目。但設計并沒有偏離其本質，依然秉承 Terragni and Gio Ponti 倡導的理性主義格調。設計中暗含著嚴謹，杜絕“景觀性”，強調與周圍環境的呼應。而有時建筑與周圍環境的呼應體現為一種沖突感。米蘭 Aulenti 廣場的“白浪”（聚集了店鋪和展廳的建筑），對面是聯合信貸銀行（Unicredit）大廈。與新門地區大多數建筑不同的是，大廈以三座呈水平弧度的塔樓構成，為米蘭最高建筑。寬敞的窗戶使其樓面外觀新穎，與廣場其它建筑垂直的遮陽窗設計形成對比。事務所一反常態，突出建筑的壯觀性。實際上，大廈在設計過程中，并未打算在外形上超越其它建筑。

那么，可不可以說，這并非Piuarch建筑師事務所的“本質”呢？Piuarch建筑師事務所的名稱涵蓋了其成立的初衷，但仍然讓人感到神秘。出于一種無需大量財政資源的想法（追求更高質量的建筑），事務所排斥那種“主角式”建筑泛濫的情況。因而，Piuarch團隊最引以為傲的項目之一就是1996年塞斯托圣喬瓦尼（Sesto San Giovanni）的公益綜合樓，那時事務所剛起步不久。“C”形設計圍成庭院，采用木材增加建筑保暖性。木材在當時被人們嗤之以鼻，現在又再度流行。目前郊區重建的各大項目，都會探討和借鑒這座大樓的設計。

Piuarch團隊“去個性”化的方法，更突出辯證法，同時打造了一個“接力式”獨立企業，各成員都積極按照“無頭四人”組所需要的合作精神去努力。雖然建筑領域不乏具有凝聚力的團隊，但能夠總體平穩運營20年的也為數不多。Piuarch建筑師事務所選擇低調前行。合伙人表示：“我們希望遠離聚光燈”。如今，Piuarch建筑師事務所已成為新國際建筑領域中的重要一員。事務所參加了很多公共工程項目比賽（以國外項目為主，因為要在意大利建造公共工程始終是一項勞心費神且沒有止境的工作），積極與私人客戶合作，尤其是與（“具有現代感的”）時尚界私人客戶合作。目前事務所的日常工作主要是維持業務關系、認真研究每一個客戶的特定需求、轉變背景環境方面的設計理念。那么，這些不就是建筑設計的全部含義嗎？事務所于1998年開始與杜嘉班納（Dolce&Gabbana）合作，正是憑借為杜嘉班納進行的設計，事務所走上了國際舞臺。

奢侈品領域，事務所為紀梵希（Givenchy）位于韓國首爾的店面設計了第二層立面，借鑒了時裝店最具特色的服飾風格之一。此外，還將一度輝煌的Caproni航空工廠（20世紀30年代）改造為古馳（Gucci）的新總部。原有的外露砌體結構與新建的青銅建筑形成鮮明對比。青銅建筑堅固剛健，就如同這里曾經生產出的航空產品。

意大利法恩扎的 Brentini 建筑以及 Caritas 世博會展館的結構設計以雕刻為特點，也有的結構設計借鑒了 Val d’Arno 地區 Incisa 杜嘉班納（Dolce&Gabbana）工廠的蒙德里安式幾何圖案建筑師以現代視角看待自己的職業，將理念與現實相融合。二戰后，很多建筑設計師是理念與現實相分離的。Piuarch建筑師事務所努力借助過去的最佳狀態，將理念上的高品質融入到日常工作中。

在過去的幾年里，筆者一直與事務所四大創始人之一 Francesco Fresa 有交集。我們尊重彼此，形成了深厚的友誼。午餐的時候，我們一般會討論該如何更好地闡釋城市（進而闡釋整個社會），我們都很愿意傾聽別人的不同觀點。有一次，我們談起了街道公共空間問題。那時，斯福爾扎城堡地區重建比賽即將拉開帷幕。Piuarch建筑師事務所報名的參賽項目取消了人行道與自行車道，以及自行車道與機動車道之間的屏障。我們的想法是，減少出行時人們所受到的“禁止通行”或“禁止入內”等標識的限制。這只是一個烏托邦式的理想嗎？不，這一想法是為了讓人們自覺提升責任感和素質水平。這種想法，如同事務所設計的動態空中花園（Piuarch打算將其對外開放，甚至對當地學生開放）一樣，可能會成為建筑領域面臨的最刺激的挑戰——改善人們共同生活的方式。自展開業務20年以來，Piuarch建筑師事務所始終堅持 Italo Calvino（意大利著名作家）在《挑戰迷宮》一文中的觀點。創造力是前進路上不可或缺的動力。而當你以為找到了出路的時候，其實是即將進入另一個迷宮。Piuarch建筑師事務所發展成著名專業/個人企業的關鍵，就是堅持不懈的嘗試與試驗。

As we know, Milan is slow to reveal itself. It is a city that shows off its charms slowly,bit by bit, and only to those who are willing to study and explore it. One way to get to the heart of the city is to peer inside its courtyards. Aristocratic buildings conceal luscious gardens contrasting with the meticulous lines of the outside facades. But there are also courtyards that tell us about busy, industrious people, family lives shared and coexisting with craftsmen and labourers. That is the feeling you get when you visit Piuarch’s studio right in the heart of the Brera district of Milan. You would never guess there is a simple building taking up the interior courtyard just beyond the entrance to the premises in Via Palermo with a heavy iron gate and geometric marble ornamentation that looks almost metaphysical. This used to be a print works and we like to imagine the noise of the rotor presses echoing the much more powerful machinery running every night in the nearby ?Corriere della Sera?newspaper offices. Noise and ink. You can almost feel the hard work going on as you enter thefirm. Calm chaos pervades the huge loft that has a staircase in the middle leading up to thefioor above. Large tables covered with paper are evidence of meetings that have justfinished and also more sociable get-togethers. Elsewhere there are scale models of projects under way everywhere from China and Russia to the Lebanon and France. This is where about forty people work, including the four founding partners, nine associates and other young architects and engineers. But when it allfirst began, so the founding foursome are quick to point out, it was like arranging a jam session in a garage: improvisation and the utmost creativity. Then the band turned into an orchestra.

There does not seem to be anything hierarchical about the spatial layout, either in terms of time or roles. Despite the computers and despite the 3D instruments and renders, there is a pervading sense of physicality, which pays tribute to the concrete nature of design work: here architecture is still fundamentally a craft, proud of surviving in the face of stupefying virtual reality. But it is time to head up another staircase onto thefiat building roof to discover something else. For a couple of years now, thefirm has had its own hanging garden up here, which takes on a new botanical theme with each passing season. In 2016 it was transformed into a “kinetic garden”, whose colour scheme ranges from red and green lettuces to orange and sky-blue pansies. Arranged in a series of straight rows in alternating colours, a dynamic effect is triggered off by people’s movements: a tribute to the Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez, a master of kinetic art. So here among the vegetables andfiowers on the roof of an old print works located inside a courtyard wefind an important clue for drawing up Piuarch’s identikit.“We were four friends at the bar, who wanted to change the world...” This line from a Gino Paoli song points towards the origins of this collective founded by Francesco Fresa, Germán Fuenmayor, Gino Garbellini and Monica Tricario. The four of them met in Milan in the early 1990s working at the Gregottifirm and all came from quite different backgrounds. Fresa, who is from Rome, had studied at the Berlin School of Architecture; Fuenmayor from Venezuela had studied in Caracas and Milan; Garbellini from the Valtellina region had graduated in engineering from Milan Polytechnic;Tricario had studied under Achille Castiglioni at Milan Polytechnic. After talking and exchanging ideas, they discovered they had a surprising desire in common: to bring together kinetic art and architecture.

They love Getulio Alviani’s work for Alberto Biasi’s “Gruppo N e T”, but also admire the work of the South Americans Cruz-Diez, Jesús Soto, Julio Le Parc and Gertrude?Gego? Goldschmidt.

This openness to art is an aesthetic trait found in both the Dolce&Gabbana headquarters and old Metropol Cinema in Milan. The shimmering colours of the vertical steel facade blades are the most convincing embodiment of this optical style: its architectural dimension comes from the onlooker’s movement. A remarkable fragmentation and refraction effect can also be seen on the front of the Gazprom building in St Petersburg (The Gazprom Headquarters), which is made of coloured glass panels set at different angles. Physicality and illusion. And yet the stylistic touches that make these buildings so striking to look at do not detract from their underlying identity, which remainsfirmly in line with a rationalist approach inspired by Terragni and Gio Ponti. Underlying rigour that rejects spectacularisation and interacts with the setting. Even if only to contradict it. The “white wave” in Piazza Aulenti in Milan, a building grouping together shops and showrooms opposite the UniCredit Tower, stands out for its winding horizontally amidst a maze of

verticality in the Porta Nuova neighbourhood, further enhanced by the wide windows characterising the facade overlooking the square that contrasts with the vertical pattern of sunscreen blades, the team’s magnificent obsession, over on its other side. Its forms are not, in actual fact, intended to compete with the other buildings.

So, would not it be right to say that this is Piuarch’s true nature? Thefirm’s name itself encompasses a clear intent, which, nevertheless, remains mysterious; it rejects the kind of protagonism dominating architecture in the name of an idea (more quality architecture) that does not necessarily call for significantfinancial resources. It is no coincidence that one of the projects the team is most proud of is a social housing complex dating back to thefirm’s early days in 1996 built in Sesto San Giovanni: a “C”shape that creates a courtyard and the use of wood to instil warmth. A material now back in vogue that most people turned their nose up at back then. A project worth considering in all the current debate about redeveloping the suburbs.

The team’s depersonalised approach is not only more dialectical, it also creates a “relay-style” organisation, self-support that the members of the collective like to compare to the teamwork required of a “cockless four” rowing crew. Of course, there is no lack of collectives in the world of architecture, but only a few can boast twenty years of basically smooth-running business. Piuarch is progressing quietly. “We like to keep out of the spotlight”, so the partners say. And thefirm is now a significant player on the new international architecture scene. It enters lots of competitions for public works (particularly abroad, getting this kind of building constructed in Italy is always a nerve-racking and endless affair) and enjoys a busy working partnership with private clients, particularly in the world of fashion, “which shows a marked sense of modernity”. Business relations, careful studies of the specific needs of all its clients, and altering its own design ideas in relation to settings, are thefirm’s daily bread. After all, is not this what designing architecture is all about? Its business partnership with Dolce&Gabbana, whichfirst began in 1998, has projected Piuarch onto a more international plane.

In the world of luxury goods, it has designed a second skin for the Givenchy store in Seoul drawing on one of the fashion house’s most distinctive sartorial traits, and it has also designed the new headquarters of Gucci on the site where the glorious Caproni aeronautical factory used to operate in Milan back in the 1930s. Its original exposed brick structure stands in stark contrast to a sturdy new bronze building, as solid and virile as the products that used to come out of these warehouses.

There are sculptural features in the structural design of constructions like the Brentini building in Faenza or the Caritas pavilion designed for the EXPO, and even references to Mondrian’s geometric patterns in the Dolce&Gabbana factory in Incisa in Val d’Arno. The architect’s trade is viewed in a very contemporary way without separating the world of ideas from the working world; a dichotomy that has characterised the work of many post-war architectural designers. Piuarch strives to hold onto the very best of the past to instil conceptual quality in its day-to-day work.The person writing here has spent plenty of time with one of the four founding partners, Francesco Fresa, over the last few years. Friendship and respect aside,I think our regular lunchtime chats are proof of a mutual desire to listen to different points of view about how the city (and hence society) should be interpreted. Once we talked about the idea of shared spaces in the streets. It was around the time the competition was being held to redevelop the area around Sforza Castle and Piuarch had entered a project that did away with the barriers separating pedestrians from cyclists and cyclists from motorists. The idea was to reduce the number of no entry and no access signs to place greater responsibility on people on the move. A utopian dream, perhaps? No, just getting the community to show greater responsibility and maturity. This kind of project, just like the project for its kinetic roof garden (that Piuarch would like to open up to the community, even getting local schoolchildren involved), is perhaps the most exciting challenge facing architecture:improving the way in which people live together.Throughout the twenty years it has been in business, Piuarch has never lost sight of what Italo Calvino had to teach in his essay entitled La sfida al labirinto. Creativity is an ongoing challenge tofind the right way ahead, but when you think you have glimpsed the way out, you actually need to take on another labyrinth. Continuous experimentation is the key to this highly successful professional/personal enterprise.