19 Apr 2018
Carlo Ratti explores the effects of climate change at Milan Pavilion
BY Magali Robathan
Carlo Ratti has created a climate-controlled garden pavilion with green spaces curated by Patrick Blanc and Flavio Pollano for the 57th annual Salone del Mobile in Milan.
The pavilion, entitled Living Nature, uses an innovative energy management system “to allow spring, summer, autumn and winter to coexist under the same roof” and aims to explore the effects of climate change and the link between nature and the city. It evolved from a concept by CRA and Studio Römer and is located in Piazza del Duomo, Milan’s main square.
The 500sq m, 5m-high pavilion houses four natural, climatic microcosms, corresponding to the four seasons. Each season is “enriched” by a display of familiar design objects and presents a different theme - living room in spring, picnic in summer, office in autumn, playroom in winter.
“As designers, I think today we find ourselves at a utopia or oblivion crossroads", said Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and director of the MIT Senseable City Lab: "Oblivion, if we are not able to rise to the challenge of the changes underway.
"Utopia, if we succeed in becoming the creators of transformation in the “artificial world”, starting with our cities and our homes.
"Living Nature aims to foster a new debate on sustainability – what if the last frontier of design is to reimagine urban climate?".
Scribit, Carlo Ratti's internet-connected 'write and erase' robot has been unveiled at the pavilion.
The robot can write or create art sourced from the web in real time onto any vertical surface, allowing users to personalise their spaces. Scribit will report live tweets, weather forecasts and information about events taking place at the Salone del Mobile onto the glass panels of the pavilion.
The Living Nature pavilion is also hosting a series of talks exploring the technology-driven connections between nature and design.
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