Naturescape
Among all the new skyscrapers in Milan’s Porta
Nuova Varesine area, an urban garden appears
in this jungle of concrete on the ground floor of
an office building developed by the real estate
firm Hines. The result is Urban Stories organized
by Mosca Partners presented during the “Salone
Internazionale del Mobile” in Milan in April 2013
as a serene exhibition space created by Kengo
Kuma as a spin-off of the Bologna Water Design
2012 concept. In the dense urban setting of Milan,
the design for Urban Stories: Naturescape used a
simple combination of bamboo trees and a subtle,
clean application of matte Pietra Serena sand
stone in the form of wavy plateaus with small pools
of water. Around in the garden exhibition space
furniture from the likes of Belgian Tribù were on
view in space that was a vague distinction between
interior and exterior.
In his Naturescape installation Kengo Kuma
creatively uses combinations of natural elements
such as stone, plants, water and gravel to create
dreamlike images of a Japanese garden, inviting
the visitor to experience the elegance, tranquility
and wisdom of Zen simplicity in the middle of the
dense urbanism of Milan. The Japanese reference
is reinforced by the integration of bamboo trees,
arranged like a small forest in the landscape,
creating an urban garden that highlights the
designs of several Italian companies such as
kitchen fittings from Vaselli, bathroom designs by
Agape and metal exterior sun awnings by Pratic.
OCAK - ŞUBAT 2014 / JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2014 • NATURA 19