MIND

At the Village Pavilion, the ripple effect meets digital origami

For the new MIND district in Milan, the architecture and design firm Lombardini22 and WOOD-SKIN have created an ‘impossible’ architectural surface for the Village Pavillion designed by Michele De Lucchi. 

Originating from a concept by L22, WOOD-SKIN accepted the challenge of realizing a heretofore implausible design with traditional techniques and materials. Here, WOOD-SKIN is both system and tool in the complex transformation from digital file to finished product of the concept of the ‘ripple effect’, as in a drop of water whose point of impact generates energy, dynamism, and a multitude of concentric waves that propagate far beyond the size of the drop itself.

A set of unique skills, now more essential than ever in a world of design that increasingly intersects with robotic manufacturing, made it possible to move in a very short time from the study of forms by DDlab (Lombardini22's Digital Design Lab specializing in computational design) to their production using the WOOD-SKIN® digital fabrication process. The complexity of the surface does not entail, however, a heavy and intricate structure; rather, it is lightweight and accessible from both front and back, leaving the technical and engineering details clearly visible to underscore MIND's vocation as a technological and research hub, where form and function join forces to shape the future of Made-in-Italy innovation.

The 40-sq/m surface of this unique wall is divided into segments, each different from the other, forming a large digital origami made of wood and then painted, essentially a multitude of elements breaking from the plane to become three-dimensional. Thanks to the dry assembly method, the wall can be entirely disassembled and restored to its flat state to be reused in different contexts.

The ceiling element at the entrance of the pavilion was also made with the same characteristics and intent, a soft and malleable shape to remind us that innovation = elasticity + perspective.

At MIND - Milano Innovation District, the interiors of the Village Pavilion designed by Michele De Lucchi have been entirely transformed as showcase and office spaces by Lombardini22 and two other firms that share the same principles of innovation: Leandlease, which is the private developer of MIND, and Designtech, the hub for technological innovation in the design field at the service of the district's ecosystem.

The intervention stems from the desire to create an innovative workplace where the primary focus is well-being, healthy spaces, and sociality.

The project aims to bring together established companies that embody excellence in the national and international design sector with innovative start-ups in order to combine their resources and invent solutions capable of improving and revolutionizing the way we live.

The MIND Marketing Suite is organized into three independent and distinct thematic macro-areas - Work & Meet, Pitch Arena, and Immersive Space – which represent the design pillars of flexibility, technology, and sustainability. The Pitch Arena is the multifunctional area of the Marketing Suite, which can be configured according to the day's program.