1. Your firm is working on various markets undergoing rapid expansion, from the Middle East to China and Africa. Projects on these markets include the Alfardan Towers in Doha, Qatar with the completion of the spa and the construction of the BMW headquarters and business podium.
What do you think it means to export Italian taste abroad?

Today, at a time of undifferentiated globalisation, Italian taste goes beyond the generic appreciation for our food and wine, fashion and design around the world. There is undoubtedly an ideal of "elegance" and, especially, an overall approach to projects that have been most successfully achieved in modern Italian tradition.
Architects like Gardella, under whom we studied, and Gio Ponti embodied the intellectual/technical/creative model that dominated – with elegance – all kinds of projects and coordinated the entire creative process, the way a great film director would (another field in which Italy has a long and celebrated tradition). The current specialisation in the industry has stamped out this model, especially abroad, but our intent is to maintain this interdisciplinary approach and continue to enjoy and share experiences in a wide variety of fields for ongoing research and enrichment. We might design an Andy Warhol exhibit, then a faucet factory whose products we also design, along with the master plan for the development of independent buildings and their interiors, down to the still life. And why not design the flatware and glasses on the table too? "From the spoon to the city" still accurately sums up this ability to see the big picture.
And it’s also a question of tradition:
Tradition needs to be renewed culturally, but for creativity to be meaningful you need tradition. Certain modern ideologies focus obsessively on breaking with tradition and rejecting it, but only by reinterpreting it with a modern eye can you achieve the true essence of culture.
That is what we aim to do.


2. Has working abroad in close contact with other cultures influenced your style? Does it give life to new shapes, colours or new concepts of living space?

Of course. It has certainly intensified our search for new materials, shapes and textures.
The Arab world, for instance, is exotic, but it is also tied to European culture through its particular textures, rich damask fabrics and complex geometric shapes.
For example, we used the warm earth colours of Africa in our mood board for the villas in Benin.
We have always tried to respect local traditions while "giving them the right modern look" with large windows and wide openings to the surrounding landscape, even where it might seem unworthy.  We always look for inspiration in local needs and traditions and this can be seen in our facades and the distribution of interior spaces.
Orientation and climate, for example, with the varying ratio of sunlight at different latitudes, also given sustainable architecture requirements, are always considered the most important foundation for a design.
In Muslim countries the direction of Mecca and feng shui principles in China and Malaysia have often radically conditioned our residential projects. But like technology, we prefer it not to show too much.


3. Each year for the Milan Salone del Mobile, Peia Associati presents a series of design products to the public. What product(s) are you presenting in 2008?

We have a new lamp called the "La Perla" with Martini Illuminazione, created in one of our architectural projects.
It is a recessed light without a ring and a very deep light source, so that you see the light, but not the source, like a simple hole in the ceiling.
We are also showing some interesting new Cisal bathroom products again this year.
"Ash" and "Cauliflower" are two new carpets that we have designed for Tsetan Sonam Carpets, a Tibetan carpet company with which we have been experimenting in the combination of ancient weaving techniques with computer graphics.


4. The Peia Associati firm is frequently involved in cultural and arts events, exhibit sponsorships and the Open Studio during the Festa dell’Architettura.  Do you think it’s important for the firm to be involved in these kinds of events?

Certainly. We believe that it is extremely important to publicise our work and our method on the Milanese show circuit and keep people who are not directly involved, like journalists, clients, colleagues and suppliers, along with people who are increasingly  interested in design and architecture, up-to-date on the architectural world and architectural research.


5. What projects abroad are you currently working on and what do you have planned for the future?

First, we strongly believe in our country. We are building important residential and tourism complexes on Lake Maggiore, in Canobbio and Laveno.
We just finished a residential building in Via Monteceneri and another renovation project in Milan.
Between Milan and Corsico, along the waterway, we designed the new Italian Buddhist Institute in a restored Renaissance farmhouse, expanded to house a large convention room, among other things.
Foreign projects interest us because of their size and, especially, the shorter time periods required for procedures and building than in Italy.
In Shanghai we are finishing two residential towers and working on a large vertical shopping centre, with hotels, restaurants, swimming pools and a spa.
In Cotonou, Benin, we just finished a master plan for the construction of 72 villas and a site is about to begin work on a design hotel.
A construction site for a highly innovative hotel is also slated to start work soon in Accra, in Ghana.
In Doha, after the resounding success of "The Oyster" pavilion and the Alfardan Towers, we have a few projects underway, including private villas on the new island, "The Pearl," restaurants and a spa in the new "Alfardan residence", a 62-floor tower in the shape of an Arab wind tower.
Lastly, in Rostov, Russia, we are developing a project for a building with several restaurants and a hotel.

For more information: www.peiaassociati.it