Echo is a mysterious object that repeats and feeds on its surroundings in an endless dialogue between interior and exterior, between nature and architecture.
The project formed part of ‘The Litta Variations’, a show at Palazzo Litta by Mosca Partners that brings together more than 22 exhibitors from around the world.
Chilean architecture studio Pezo von Ellrichshausen ( PvE ) created the pavilion within Milan’s baroque Palazzo Litta ( 1761 ) , described as a ‘ direct echo of its historical surroundings’.
The mirrored surface reflects the surrounding courtyard of the building in its two levels, the baroque colonnade, the corridor beyond, the two upper levels, as well as the stone pavement
The inner enclosure, which remains open to the sky, repeats the square ratio of the courtyard with four entrance point providing access to a central room.
The top part of the ‘echo’ pavilion is an inverted pyramid that extends symmetrically in every direction, obscuring views of Palazzo Litta.
Referencing its reflective appearance, PvE says that the project faintly resembles the solitary nymph who could only repeat the last words spoken by someone else.
The ‘deceiving object’ is described as both receded and expanded, visible and invisible, solid and ethereal.
Within itself, Echo instead defines the space standing above it: the sky, natural element, isolated from the context of the city and its architecture.
The result of the exploration is a vision of architecture intended as a shared experience, aggregating but at the same time reflective; the surrounding environment is strongly contextualized in a reality within and around the buildings.
” In its radical simplicity, the pavilion will turn into an immaterial presence that, almost as in a fleeting mirage, will capture the discreet beauty of the three hundred and seventy-year-old palazzo on its flat surfaces
If at ground level visitors will encounter an unprecedented version of the monument, by looking up they will see themselves reflected on an impressive tilted ceiling ” ………….PvE
Faintly resembling the solitary nymph who could only repeat the last words spoken by someone else, the proposed pavilion is a direct echo of its historical surroundings.
The building is both receded and expanded, visible and invisible, solid and ethereal.
It is a deceiving object, a figure that resonates with the dimensions and proportions of the existing baroque palazzo.
This object is a magic open box (perhaps Pandora`s one) that repeats the square (1:1 ratio) of the courtyard, with a silhouette defining two levels: following the existing axis, the lower one is a compact central room (5m in plan) with four accesses and the higher one is an inverted pyramid extended symmetrically in every cardinal direction (10m in plan)
The inclination of the higher stratum (1:2 ratio) is directed towards the perimeter of the courtyard.
Since the material of the pavilion is polished stainless steel, both the vertical and the inclined planes become a mirror of the stone pavement, the colonnades and the corridor beyond.
In its radical simplicity, the pavilion turns into an immaterial presence that, almost as in a fleeting mirage, captures the discreet beauty of the three hundred and seventy-year-old palazzo on its flat surfaces.
If at ground level visitors encounter an unprecedented version of the monument, by looking up they see themselves reflected on an impressive tilted ceiling.
Upon entering into the central room, into a massive steel grid frame, the weight of the historical architecture vanishes by an uninterrupted view to the ever-changing sky.
The installation was constructed by Mosca’s technical partner De Castelli, Metal Projects Factory, renowned for its expertise and skilled craftsmanship
On-going metal research and experimentation has enabled the company to penetrate international markets and to undertake significant collaborations which have translated into prestigious architectural constructions and special projects
About Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Pezo von Ellrichshausen is an art and architecture studio founded in 2002 by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen.
They live and work in the southern chilean city of concepcion.
They share the position of Associate Professor of the Practice at AAP Cornell University and have taught at Harvard University graduate school of design, the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and the Universidad Catolica in Santiago de Chile.
Among other venues, they have lectured at the Tate Modern, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Alvar Aalto symposium and the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Their work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, as part of the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Moma in New York, and at the Venice Biennale International architecture exhibition, where they also were the curators for the Chilean pavilion in 2008.
The work of the studio has been distinguished with the Mies Crown Hall Americas emerge prize by the IIT, the Nice Design Alliance prize, the Iberoamerican architecture biennial award and the Chilean architecture biennial award.
It has also been widely published and edited in monographic issues of AV in Madrid, A+RUu in Tokyo, 2G in Barcelona and in the essay books spatial structure ( B Architecture publisher) and Naïve Intention ( ACTAR).
Mauricio Pezo (1973)
Completed his Master in Architecture at the Universidad Catolica and a degree in architecture at the Universidad del Bio-bio.
He has been awarded the young architect prize by the Chilean Architects Association and the Municipal art prize by the Concepcion city hall.
Sofia von Ellrichshausen (1976)
She holds a degree in architecture from the Universidad de Buenos Aires where she was distinguished with the Fadu- Uba honors diploma.
Other Projects by PvE
PvE Solo Pezo House 2013
PvE Poli House
PvE Casa Rode House, Chile
