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Negozio Olivetti

Negozio Olivetti © Photo: Haupt & Binder, universes.art

Negozio Olivetti - Architecture, Art, Design

The showroom under the colonnades of San Marco, designed by the Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa 1957/58, is a masterpiece of a modern architectural intervention on a heritage building. It displays historical Olivetti typewriters and calculators, as well as rotating exhibitions of art and design.


In 1957, Carlo Scarpa - who had won the Olivetti Prize for Architecture the previous year - was commissioned by Adriano Olivetti to redesign a space under the colonnades of the Procuratie Vecchie as a showcase for Olivetti products. The Olivetti machines were renowned worldwide since the 1950s, among them, the portable mechanical typewriter "Lettera 22," and "Divisumma," the first calculator for office use.

Scarpa completely transformed the dark and narrow (21 x 5 m) 16th century unit into an open hall, based on a smart reorganization of the spaces and an innovative design. The ground floor appears volumetrically united with the second floor, which has mezzanines along both sides, accessed via a central asymmetrical staircase of sculptural quality. He chose materials of exceptional quality for the decorative elements, paying tribute to Venetian traditions and craftsmanship.

When the space lost its function in 1997, it deteriorated considerably during subsequent use, until the Assicurazioni Generali undertook a careful restoration, opening it again to the public in 2011, after entrusting its management to the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI).

The architect accentuated the advantageous corner location and connection to the Piazza, by increasing the size of the store windows, which are made of beveled glass. Their metal frames have diagonally cut corners to soften the sharp angles, and leaded screws, left completely exposed as decorative elements.

The small entrance space defined by a red mosaic floor is connected and divided at the same time from the showroom area by an elegant fountain of black marble which forms the rectangular basin for a beautiful bronze sculpture. Author of the "Nudo al sole" is Alberto Viani, an artist for whom Scarpa had designed several exhibits for the Venice Biennale. An interesting design detail is the fountain spout of marble and copper with the Olivetti logo engraved on the slab.

Scarpa’s decision to place the staircase in the center of the room converted a functional accessory in a focal point and sculptural object. Structured irregularly with cantilevered slabs of Aurisina marble, asymmetrical steps with lateral offsets, exposed brass screws which accent the central axis of the room, it is considered a masterpiece of lightness and dynamism.

Slabs of light grey Aurisina marble used for the staircase also cover the central pilaster. Interesting to note is that here, while their surface is smoothly polished, their edges are left roughly cut, typical of Scarpa’s preferences.

The walls are covered with panels of Venetian stucco, obtained from the mixture of lime putty and marble powder that makes it possible to achieve a highly polished texture. The panels are separated by vertical florescent lights covered by opaque glass plates.

The mosaic floors are made from glass tesserae of irregular dimensions which create a sense of shimmering movement reminiscent of water, and define the different areas: red at the entrance, grayish-white at the center, the area of the side entrance is blue and that in the back is yellow.

African teak blocks are used for the mezzanines serving at the same time as ceiling of the floor below. The two upper floor windows offering splendid views of Piazza San Marco are screened on the inside with sliding oval gratings in teak and rosewood. The grating in teak is used also for the covering of the back entrance.

In front of the store windows, rosewood shelves supported by stainless steel rods, and on the first floor, teak wood shelves, each one is supported by two slim strips of the same wood display the Olivetti products, or other exhibits during the rotating guest shows.

Brass details, as fixings or as transition elements between the different materials, were chosen to withstand corrosion in the saline air, while adding a timeless "golden" elegance to the architecture.

(Summarized from information provided by Fondo Ambiente Italiano and other sources.)

Address:

Negozio Olivetti

Under the colonnades of the Procuratie Vecchie, at the corner with the Sotoportego del Cavaletto.

Piazza San Marco 101
Procuratie Vecchie
Venezia
Italy

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Compilation of information, editing, translations, photos: Universes in Universe, unless otherwise indicated


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