Boutique Design - July/August 2015 - 26

5 Diamond-shaped glassand-steel skylights filter
natural light onto the
pool's surface throughout the day. When the
sun goes down, artificial
LED, RGB light adds
drama as shifting hues
play across the water.

itself. He worked with De Majo Illuminazione to fashion the
lobby's central Murano glass chandelier, called Light Fall, which
descends nearly 100 ft. from the ceiling through the center of the
restored grand staircase. This massive light sculpture is
comprised of 180 opaque glass tubes lit by LED projectors and
uses the principles of 3D simulation to enhance the glimmering
cascade of illumination.
"To preserve a sense of magic, we integrated the lighting into
the architecture and fit-out areas to hide the source. All that
people see is the effect of that shower of light which, in turn,
informs the character of the space," says Piva.
The design team also worked closely with Venetian glassmakers on the intricate lighting installation for the hotel's
famous dome. Keeping the shape of this historic feature was a
must. To introduce a more modern feel, the surface was coated
with 586 aluminum prisms with mirror finishes that filter a
stream of RGB color into the area below.
Small touches bring in relatable pieces of the city's daily life.
Prismatic Murano appliques add see-and-be-seen texture to the
wooden walls of the ground floor restaurant. The polished and
matte steel and bronze accents in the public areas bridge the building's art deco roots and its modern life in the redeveloped Porta
Nuova neighborhood, which is populated by the sleek architecture
of such Italians as César Pelli and Stefano Boeri. Piva's X Texture
theme helps unify these diverse elements. Its signature x-shaped
26

boutiquedesign.com july + August 2015

pattern is expressed in the plush, quilted treatment of a private
dining room wall and some of the headboards; laser-engraved
inside glass; and as a sculptural divider comprised of chrome-like
strands that crisscross to frame restaurant seating.
No hotel would say "Milan" without art. Some of the visuals
are a combination of new commissions and restored works from
the hotel's eollection. But Piva also augments a traditional
program with statements reflective of the city's stellar reputation
for the plastic arts-from the aluminum barfront cast on stones
for the rooftop lounge to the guest room and corridor carpeting
based on graphic iterations of his original watercolors.
Guests can get up close and personal with the city's star
performers in several new specialty suites. Five of those spaces
honor Piva's hand-picked "Gentlemen of Design," including Vico
Magistretti, Achille Castiglioni, Giò Ponti, Luigi Caccia Dominioni and Franco Albini. The hotel is also home to Atelier Suites,
which reference fashion with sartorial details; Art Suites, with
full-height sliding panels with art photography of the hotel's
historic façade; loft-like Executive Suites; and the futuristically
elegant Katara Suite, one of the largest presidential suites in Italy.
"Milan is a complex city. Our goal was to reveal it, bit by bit, to
surprise with materials and textures and to offer guests and
locals entry to a unique world," says Piva. 
For more, see boutiquedesign.com

PROJECT
PARTICIPANTS
OWNER

Katara Hospitality
OPERATOR

The Luxury Collection by
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
INTERIOR DESIGN/
ARCHITECTURE/
LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Studio Marco Piva: Marco
Piva; Daniela Baldo; Fernando
Tedesco
PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

Lend Lease

STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND
ENGINEERING

Arup Italia

COST CONSULTANT

Gardiner & Theobald

FIT-OUT OF ROOMS
AND CORRIDORS

Cassina S.p.A. Contract
Division
FIT-OUT OF GROUND AND
SEVENTH FLOORS' PUBLIC
SPACES AND KATARA SUITE

B&B Italia Contract Division
FURNITURE (VARIOUS
SPACES)

Poltrona Frau
LIGHTING

Zonca Illuminizione
De Majo Illuminizione
La Murrina

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Boutique Design - July/August 2015

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