Mario Bellini is an Italian architect and designer internationally renowned. He graduated from the Milan Polytechnic – Faculty of Architecture in 1959 and began working as an architect himself in the early 1960s. He is the winner among others of 8 Golden Compass Award (Compasso d’Oro is the italian name for this award) and prestigious architecture awards including the Medaglia d’Oro conferred on him by the President of the Italian Republic. Between other awards, 25 of Mario Bellini’s works are in the permanent design collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which dedicated to him a personal retrospective in 1987. Like many other Italian architects, his activities range from architecture and urban planning to product and furniture design, making him a reference for “Best architect in Milan”!

Projects

*Hotel Garage Traversi

To restructure the Ex Garage Traversi, changing its function to give it a new life, means to resume the fundamental ties of a pieces of the urban and social history of the city of Milan neglected for far too long. The project intends to: interprets the main features of modernity that characterize the artifact (facades and open plan) to harmonize them with the new functional and distribution requirements. Retrieve the main facade of the former garage like a Mask, a solid urban theater wing to preserve the identity of the street’s curtain of via Bagutta.

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Raise a few feet behind the mask, the new Face of the multifunctional complex, a green facade that breathes and which is permeable to the visitors’ gaze. Then put in mutual communication (direct and visual) the City and the multipurpose complex, through the large horizontal eyes of the mask and the transparency of the new ‘green Face’ which communicates with the similar elements that surround it in the public space in front.

*National Gallery of Victoria International

The Gallery was enlarged and completely redesigned, leaving the external architecture untouched. This enormous task began in 1996 after an invitation-only international competition, which was won by Mario Bellini in association with Metier 3. Bellini’s submission competed against those by some of the best architects in the world, including Arata Isozaki, D.C.M.- Gae Aulenti, and Pei Cobb Freed.

“After seven long years of studies, discussions and work,” says Mario Bellini, “the winning idea was that of returning this great monument to the citizens of Melbourne absolutely intact in its role as urban symbol, yet, simultaneously, radically rethought and transformed in its role as a museum.

From the entrance, the reception area, the breadth of facilities available, the circulation, the sequence of exhibition themes, the reinvention and doubling of the space and on to the evocative three central courtyards, the overall atmosphere, the signposting, materials, colours, lighting, exquisite exhibition cases … there is little to recall the original municipal institution and everything will speak a new language which takes into account the increasingly sophisticated needs and sensibilities of today’s museum and gallery visitors.”

The project involves 30 exhibition rooms devoted to the permanent collection displaying international works ranging from Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Asian to contemporary art, It includes a comprehensive collection of decorative arts, as well as a significant collection of works on paper. Three large spaces are devoted to the display of temporary exhibitions. The new development incorporates a new foyer and large orientation space, halls for performances and conferences capable of holding 500 people, café for 250 visitors, a spacious shop, education facilities and collection study areas. This revitalized institution has been designed and built to cater to many thousands of visitors a year.

Has you can see Mario Bellini has some projects that cannot pass you by. There are some design inspirations there and he is an architect to cherish.

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