Ceramics of Italy 2012 Pavilion

http://www.american-architects.com/en/e-i-studio/en/domain:american-architects.com/catId:1/

exploded axonometric view of elements

floor plan

sections

cnc rib templates

possible reconfiguration options

The proposal for Piazza Ceramica, the winning competition entry for Ceramics of Italy pavilion held in October 2012, emerged from the idea of gently lifting the opposite corners of the given 50x60 platform, affording the opportunity to elegantly house the required program elements of café, information, and restaurant below.

The project design was driven by two main strategies; on the one hand a strong inspiration in the Italian Piazza, as an inviting open public space often articulated with gradual steps that serve as seating zones for social interaction; and on the other, a wish to extensively showcase Italian ceramic tile. This double strategy came together as Piazza Ceramica: an open public space articulated with subtle yet visually striking piazza‐like steps in gradients of color achieved entirely by strategic placement of different ceramic tiles.

Altogether nine different types of tile are displayed in all vertical and horizontal surfaces; in an attempt to counter preconceived notions of tile as a rigidly orthogonal material and instead explore its potential in more fluid
arrangement, also affording new possibilities of use and public interaction. Thus from the tiled horizontal platform emerge steps which become seating surfaces that in turn become counter and work spaces.

e+i studio LLC
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PHILOSOPHY: choreographing space
e+i studio is a dynamic architecture and design practice based in New York City. It was first founded informally in 2007 as e+i architecture through a collaborative design-build research project that helped define our approach to the practice, and formally established in 2010 as e+i studio LLC to encompass the varied work we pursue; from public projects that engage the city and the environment, to residential renovations, to set and product design including furniture, jewelry and skate gear.

Informed by our background in movement related practices we approach architecture as an interdisciplinary practice that emerges from the exploration of the performance of matter and bodies in space.
For us, architecture is a material manifestation of choreographed space. In other words, we seek to propose solutions that engage performative movement-based expression and architectural spatial constructs into proposals that are not fixed in time, but can evolve through performance and use.

OFFICE: collaborative team
At e+i we believe that collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange are a vital component of the design process. We work closely with clients as collaborators, incorporating expertise from various disciplines in order to find unique and environmental solutions for any design problem. We are interested in projects of all scales; from public projects that engage the city and the environment, to residential and commercial renovations, to set and product design including furniture, jewelry, clothing and skate gear.

The work of e+i has been supported and awarded by the New York Foundation For the Arts, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Manhattan Council Art Fund, Architecture For Humanity and Emerging New York Architects, among others. It has been exhibited in New York at the AIA Center for Architecture, Van Alen Institute, Max Protech, RIVAA art gallery, Parsons New School For Design, as well as internationally at the Milan design fair, Venice, Rome, Madrid, Stockholm and Seoul.

e+i is licensed to practice architecture in New York State and in Spain.