Interview with Carlo Colombo
Thursday 8 May 2008
Architect and designer Carlo Colombo was born in Carimate, Italy in 1967.
He received a degree from the Politecnico University of Milan in 1993 and has participated in various private and public projects. A professional of international renown, Carlo Colombo collaborates with leading design companies such as Poliform, Arflex, Cappelini, Moroso, Zanotta and many more.
1. What is your opinion on the role played by Italian architects and designers abroad, and more specifically in the Middle and Far East?
The perceived quality of Made in Italy has always been synonymous with good taste and high quality. This is hardly a sore subject and I hope that Made in Italy continues to be considered the “quality way” to do things.
Rapid, continuous development in Asia is now attracting architects of international renown for designs down to the complete master plan. The market has never slowed and perhaps now, after the construction of lavish buildings, projects are gaining a more international slant. They are more community-based than before. On the other hand, for architects, there are genuine, interesting opportunities to work on projects of a far larger scale rarely found in Italy.
2. Is it important to you to give your projects for foreign clients an Italian feel or do you work within the foreign context? For instance, what do you put into the details, the specific choice of lighting or your focus on the kitchen area?
I believe more in the heterogeneity of things, as long as it is balanced. The guidelines for each of my projects reflect my taste, which, in a way, is my trademark, but many life experiences also go into my ideas. When I travel, for example, I gather information from a variety of different cultures that then translates into the details of my projects, their colours, the mixing of ethnic and modern pieces in a luxurious, yet modern space. Of course, one must know how to dress his client according to the client’s requests, but with a personal touch, all while achieving a graceful balance. It’s similar to the work of a high-end tailor.
3. Turin is the World Capital of Design for 2008.
Why do you think the design industry has chosen Turin?
We all see Turin as an historically industrial Italian city. Take film, for instance, in which there are countless examples, quotations and events referring to Turin’s industry. Fiat is the perfect example of this industrial, economic and national identity in the post-war period. Even its recent comeback with exciting, innovative products (in addition to the return of vintage remakes like the 500) and smart, sophisticated use of design as a means of communication reinforces this industrial identity. This is why Turin symbolises and stands for a general wave of domestic development.
4. What kind of event is Milan’s 2008 Salone Internazionale del Mobile for you? What do you expect from it?
The Salone is an international showcase in which companies display their products. For a designer, it is an achievement, or almost, as it means the project is complete; the “only” unknown factor is how it will sell. It is a meeting place for companies, designers, industry players and visitors. The exchange of information between them generates results in terms of taste, comparison, discussion, market knowledge and new knowledge too.
5. CAD Press plans to publish a column on green architecture, design/recycled materials and other forms of sustainable creativity.
Are you interested in this issue? Are your clients receptive to it? Would you apply it to projects you are commissioned?
In collaboration with Stratex, we’ve recently developed pre-fabricated homes, not in the old sense of temporary housing, but actual homes built with a focus on environmental compatibility. Depending on the client’s request, they feature all the equipment necessary to reduce energy consumption.
6. What projects abroad are you currently working on and have planned for the future?
We are building the pre-fabricated homes I mentioned earlier with lots of 300 in Russia and 500 in Nigeria. The market is in rapid expansion. Architecturally, in Italy, we are building homes and industrial buildings. Abroad, we are working on buildings like the Twins Towers in Abu Dhabi, hotels and prestigious residences. And then we have our product design activities.
He received a degree from the Politecnico University of Milan in 1993 and has participated in various private and public projects. A professional of international renown, Carlo Colombo collaborates with leading design companies such as Poliform, Arflex, Cappelini, Moroso, Zanotta and many more.
1. What is your opinion on the role played by Italian architects and designers abroad, and more specifically in the Middle and Far East?
The perceived quality of Made in Italy has always been synonymous with good taste and high quality. This is hardly a sore subject and I hope that Made in Italy continues to be considered the “quality way” to do things.
Rapid, continuous development in Asia is now attracting architects of international renown for designs down to the complete master plan. The market has never slowed and perhaps now, after the construction of lavish buildings, projects are gaining a more international slant. They are more community-based than before. On the other hand, for architects, there are genuine, interesting opportunities to work on projects of a far larger scale rarely found in Italy.
2. Is it important to you to give your projects for foreign clients an Italian feel or do you work within the foreign context? For instance, what do you put into the details, the specific choice of lighting or your focus on the kitchen area?
I believe more in the heterogeneity of things, as long as it is balanced. The guidelines for each of my projects reflect my taste, which, in a way, is my trademark, but many life experiences also go into my ideas. When I travel, for example, I gather information from a variety of different cultures that then translates into the details of my projects, their colours, the mixing of ethnic and modern pieces in a luxurious, yet modern space. Of course, one must know how to dress his client according to the client’s requests, but with a personal touch, all while achieving a graceful balance. It’s similar to the work of a high-end tailor.
3. Turin is the World Capital of Design for 2008.
Why do you think the design industry has chosen Turin?
We all see Turin as an historically industrial Italian city. Take film, for instance, in which there are countless examples, quotations and events referring to Turin’s industry. Fiat is the perfect example of this industrial, economic and national identity in the post-war period. Even its recent comeback with exciting, innovative products (in addition to the return of vintage remakes like the 500) and smart, sophisticated use of design as a means of communication reinforces this industrial identity. This is why Turin symbolises and stands for a general wave of domestic development.
4. What kind of event is Milan’s 2008 Salone Internazionale del Mobile for you? What do you expect from it?
The Salone is an international showcase in which companies display their products. For a designer, it is an achievement, or almost, as it means the project is complete; the “only” unknown factor is how it will sell. It is a meeting place for companies, designers, industry players and visitors. The exchange of information between them generates results in terms of taste, comparison, discussion, market knowledge and new knowledge too.
5. CAD Press plans to publish a column on green architecture, design/recycled materials and other forms of sustainable creativity.
Are you interested in this issue? Are your clients receptive to it? Would you apply it to projects you are commissioned?
In collaboration with Stratex, we’ve recently developed pre-fabricated homes, not in the old sense of temporary housing, but actual homes built with a focus on environmental compatibility. Depending on the client’s request, they feature all the equipment necessary to reduce energy consumption.
6. What projects abroad are you currently working on and have planned for the future?
We are building the pre-fabricated homes I mentioned earlier with lots of 300 in Russia and 500 in Nigeria. The market is in rapid expansion. Architecturally, in Italy, we are building homes and industrial buildings. Abroad, we are working on buildings like the Twins Towers in Abu Dhabi, hotels and prestigious residences. And then we have our product design activities.
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