The Electrolux CUBE – dining with a view – was designed to be placed in unexpected and dramatic European locations.
After its debut as part of Nomiya, a project by Laurent Grasso on the rooftop of Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2009, and a run in Brussels in 2011, The Cube “landed” on top of a building in Piazza del Duomo in Milan. (19th Dec, 2011 to 26th Apr 2012 (end of the Salone))
The Electrolux CUBE ( designed by Park Associati’ ) was conceived as a module that can be quickly put up and taken down, able to handle extreme weather conditions, express the maximum in living comfort with its refined aesthetics and use of high-quality materials.
The construction has the lightness and versatility of an exhibition stand yet with the design complexity of a building. It uses materials that are highly innovative in terms of technology, eco-sustainability and energy saving as well as enabling constant re-use. It can be assembled and later disassembled without leaving any trace of its visit.
Electrolux ensured guests enjoyed a gastronomic experience that surprised and inspired with fantastic tastes and ideas presented in a unique setting. When guests first arrive the 140sqm space was open for entertaining and some great sight seeing, especially from the external platform. When dinner was ready to be served, the concealed dining table dropped from the ceiling to seat guests before being raised again for after dinner drinks and mingling.
The Space, appointed in wood, glass, iron and Corian, married Electrolux’s Scandinavian design traditions with innovative technologies and an open-view kitchen that provided a stage for the world renowned chefs.
The Cube will next touch down in London ( For the Olympics) and then onto Stockholm.
Guests get to take in the breathtaking view of the rooftops of Duomo and beyond, the entire city and surrounding Alps. The contrast with the antiquity of the city around it couldn’t be stronger. The Cube, which is visible from every corner, stands out like a spaceship landed atop the square.
The dining pavilion seats 18 people for lunch or dinner and offers a superlative view of Piazza del Duomo, just a few meters away from the Cathedral’s spires, facing Palazzo Reale and the Arengario, the area hosting the new Museo del Novecento.
The food was prepared by award-winning Italian chefs and members of the Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe including Marco and Vittorio Colleoni from Ristorante San Martino, Andrea Sarri from Agrodolce and Christian and Manuel Costardi from Ristornate Cinzia.
The Cube Concept
The pavilion’s lightness of form is emphasized on the exterior by its white colour and given a sense of movement through the use of an aluminum “skin” that has been laser-cut to create a texture with a geometric design that covers the exterior surface.
The base of the building, slightly raised with respect to the ground, accentuates the idea of lightness and cleanness of form that is characteristic the entire structure. Inside, more highly advanced technological solutions can be found in the lighting, heating, sound system and obviously, the kitchen equipment
The interior of the The Electrolux CUBE has been designed to suit different arrangements; the pavilion consists of a large open-planned space with a visible kitchen and a single large table that can be made to disappear by raising it up to the ceiling to form a lounge area for use after eating.
The total floor area of 140 sqm is divided between the open-planned space and a 50 sqm terrace.
In the kitchen, fitted with high-tech appliances in typical Electrolux style, top international chefs will take turns in offering guests a show-cooking service with specially created menus.
First Installation – Brussels 2011
The Electrolux CUBE debuted in Brussels on the arc of the Parc du Cinquantenaire in April 2011 where it remained until July 2011
About The Architects
Set up in 2000 by Filippo Pagliani and Michele Rossi, Park Associati’s is an architectural design studio which works on a large scale.
The investigation into the dynamics and flows in urban places forms the basis of a wide range of projects for the tertiary, manufacturing and residential sectors.
Equally important for the studio is the planning of interiors which pays close attention to both craftsmanship and design. This adopts a transversal approach to the planning process and a vision that seeks to interrelate cultures and specializations, experiments with new technologies and is sensitive to the issues of sustainability and energy saving.
The projects of Park Associati’ have been showed in several exhibitions and published in Italian and international magazines.
Fillipo Pagliani
After graduating in Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, he worked with Renzo Piano 1992 to 1996 in Paris.
From 1996 to 1999, with Michele De Lucchi in Milan. In 2000 he founded Park Associates.
Since 1996 he is lecturer at the Polytechnic of Milan.
Since 2001 he is professor of Laboratory Technology at the Faculty of Planning, Regional Centre of Lecco.
In 2008 he obtained a PhD in ‘building systems and processes’ at the University of Science and Technology Building Engineering Department of the Built Environment University of Milan.
Michelle Rossi
He graduated in architecture from Milan Polytechnic in 1991 and 1992 to 1996 worked with Michele De Lucchi in the study of the same name.
In 1996 he moved to London where he worked with David Chipperfield and Din Associates, in the same period is also a Visiting Professor at St. Martin’s School of Arts, London.
In 1999 he returned to Italy and founded Park Associati’s.
From 1999 to 2001 he taught at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan and at the ISAD (Higher Institute of Architecture and Design)
Since 2005 Lecturer at the Polytechnic of Milan.
