Diving into the new possibilities and functions offered by public spaces, The Open House project defines the concept of the public hotel. The lounge zone, the fascinating restaurant, and the attractive bar are all positioned within the context of the antique building, conveying an authentic sensation of the city’s identity.

“The opportunity to design the interior of a historic Milanese palazzo seemed most fitting for the creation of a slightly experimental atmosphere that will become the future of these spaces, not only in terms of the best practices of hospitality, but also in terms of the capacity to offer very diverse, constantly up-to-date and stimulating experiences.” – Patricia Viel

The Hotel Building, located at a prime location in Taipei, is a refined piece in the chain of integrated architectural and interior design projects that ACPV continues to deliver for hospitality facilities. Along with the 160 guest rooms that provide restful stays in the heart of the city, the spatial composition accommodates a gym, a ballroom, two restaurants and a lounge bar. The façade concept is based on a simple grid structure of stone and transparent glass walls, featuring a lattice pattern with elongated rectangular openings and ribbon-like vertical structural elements that fold inward to guide views to the city. The smooth and soft wooden textures and materials of the interiors create a warm and welcoming environment.

The proposal for the ideas competition aims to create a museum system with a reorganized urban space, rather than to merely construct a new museum building. The site inserts itself among the New National Gallery, the St. Matthias Church and the Philharmonic Hall, all embedded in a heterogeneous urban space. The superstructure core of the project spans the spaces in which the elements of the museum system evolve, scaling urban spaces to the human dimension. The peripheral areas of the project are marked by freestanding columns that usher visitors to the museum areas.

Recreating the alluring imagery of a Milanese palazzo, ACPV’s architecture and interior design concept for the Westfield luxury village recreates unparalleled shopping experiences in Milan’s dynamically growing western side. Regular arches on the three levels of the new leisure and shopping hub encapsulate and visually unify a diverse range of spaces for visitors to explore and enjoy. The heights of the façade arches vary for each level, inserting an element of harmony and continuity across the two main volumes of the building complex indented at the main entrance. Terraces on the top floor and the use of glass as the main boundary between the inside and the outside create an ambiguity between enclosed and external spaces of a new destination that transports luxury shopping away from the hustle and bustle of Milan.

Located on a green section of Milan’s urban structure, the competition entry for the residential development comprises a horizontal volume in perfect continuity with the surrounding buildings, topped with lowered tower volumes. The elegant elevation creates an irregular spatial composition of variable heights and overlapping loggias for the enjoyment of external spaces. The volumetric structure responds to a variety contextual elements, conveying a multifaceted narrative that engages the urban context, the sky, the inner garden and Milan’s skyline.

The competition entry for the Milan headquarters of UnipolSai extend the defining lines of the surrounding buildings. Without interrupting the urban structure, the angular composition opens up to external areas on all sides of the building with a welcoming gesture. The diagonal lattice pattern of the glass facade unites the heights of the two main volumes to create a unified office complex, enclosing the space in between in a transparent atrium with thrilling views to Milan’s skyline. Interior spaces filled with plants and a roof-top garden create a warm environment for working in the city’s business and leisure hub.

As the precursor for the residential high-rise Treasure Garden in Taichung, Sales Gallery pavilion integrates a lobby, a residential unit, an audio-visual room and a ballroom on two levels. The defining element of design is the black staircase that complements the achromatic floor tiles of the ground floor. The undulating lattice pattern of the outer structure recalls the slender geometry of the residential development’s facade, merging the Gallery with the upper floor and framing the spaces as a united whole.

The exhibition design for La Triennale di Milano showcases the wide array of masterpieces from the design history of Italy in a multi-modular three dimensional glass composition. With a levelled glass structure at the exhibition’s core, visitors are immersed in a harmonious mixture of emblematic creations while walking along the meticulously partitioned walls. The spatial arrangement of the exhibited items leave impressions of abundance and expertise conveyed by a rich history of masterful product design.

Triennale Design Museum, Milan (Italy), 2 April 2014 – 22 February 2015

Situated at a prime Milan location, the textured design of Princi Café underscores the unique quality of the artisanal products offered and redefines the essence of the space: a niche restaurant, secret and discreet, curated to the finest details. Its kitchen positioned behind glasses functions almost as a educative hall that teaches about food preparation in a stimulating way. The counter is redesigned as an immense 10-meter-long table, integrated with various types of tables that reach into the exterior open-air sitting areas. Using materials left in their natural state without any artificial finishes, and with the lighting design by Metis Lighting we darkened the interior: basalt stones for walls, browned wood for flooring and saw-cut surfaces for tables.

2014 “Bar e Ristoranti d’Autore” prize by IN/ARCH, Istituto Nazionale di Architettura

The competition entry for the Meyrin school envisions an educational center that cuts through the landscape with its sharp luminosity and structure. The building’s volume is carved by a blade of light that illuminates and enhances the double height of the school, creating an environment for growth, sharing and learning. Using sustainable energy-saving systems, the spatial composition orients classrooms toward the garden and the neighboring sport fields.

The competition entry for the Guggenheim Museum in Helsinki envisions modular building volumes that adjust to environmental conditions. The ample spaces in the base are framed within a simple structural design that provides optimal areas for showcasing the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. While following the site’s angular layout, the top volume moves according to the changes in sunlight and snowfall. In summer, the two volumes unite in a simple rectangular mass, while in winter, the top volume cantilevers above the entrance area, creating a luminous environment protected against snow where visitors can meet and enjoy views to the sea.

The competition entry for the restructuring of Palazzo Citterio creates new opportunities for using the historic spaces while respecting the natural functional dispositions of the complex. The design builds on the idea of ‘gesamtkunstwerk’: the building which has experienced several transformations from the 18th century becomes a piece of art in itself which, together with the exhibited artworks, offers an experience of ‘total’ art. The use of durmast oak and concrete brings a sense of identity and a unique set of expressions that represent an integral part of the building’s character. The sequence of rooms on the ground floor along Via Brera offers welcome services to the visitors, leading up to the permanent collections located on the first floor. Temporary exhibitions are located in the rustic courtyard, in the basement and the building’s top floors.

The interior design for Rivea at Byblos takes Italian design excellence to the seashores of southern France to celebrate fine dining in a warm Mediterranean exchange of gastronomic and visionary knowledge. The restaurant’s interior binds the inside space to the outside area with the use of wood floorings. The consistent use of the material creates a unique environment of elegance and relaxation that stretches from the kitchen to the outside terraces, where the outstanding food creations of chef Alain Ducasse can be appreciated in the Riviera landscape framed only by the sun and the sea.

The winning competition entry for the railway station redevelopment in Chiasso (Switzerland) creates a multipurpose urban hub by folding the culture of fashion into the urban context. The joint venture between Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and C+S Architects integrates the restructuring of pre-existing buildings and the design of new complexes for two fashion schools: SAMS and STA, the art and craft school of fashion design and the high school of fashion. Inserting innovative structures into the city and the territory, the design for the new compact knowledge center creates spaces that welcome products, processes and activities associated with fashion design, for students and the wider community alike.

The competition entry for the new campus for the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland assumes a particular importance in the urban fabric of the city of Mendrisio. Located next to the region’s key rail connections, its design is based on investigations of the relationship between the station-city of Mendrisio and the pedestrian flows around the area. The proposal reformulates the character of the area dominated by residential and logistics spaces by creating spaces for human development and growth. With an opaque facade, the volumes draw an arresting pattern with alternating building heights and highlight elements that reflect the play of natural light.

The competition entry for the residential complex in Udine (Italy) comprises four 6-story buildings that are connected with a spacious inner garden with a belvedere and two fountains. The four 12,000-sqm volumes merge seamlessly with the surrounding park areas and the wider urban settings. The circulation within the site is oriented by a path that leads residents and guests through the tranquil green areas and over bridges that section the bodies of water along the main compositional lines of the buildings’ architecture.

The competition entry for the Cornaredo sports and events complex in the city of Lugano (Switzerland) comprises a stadium, training grounds and a cinema, along with administrative and parking spaces. Surrounded by the Alps, the project establishes a new orientation point within the city by creating a cultural and sports center that provides new shapes and opportunities for leisure and health activities. Placing the stadium along the site’s riverside reconnects the complex with its surroundings and with the green areas along Via Trevano on the opposite side of the plot. Balancing the multiplicity of uses, the multifunctional training facilities are placed under the pedestrian routes, yet they are illuminated by natural light thanks to the lowered surface of the land leading to the training grounds.