Carlo Scarpa|Olivetti showroom

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy.

The Olivetti Showroom is located in a corner there, renovated by Carlo Scarpa.

I introduce about his works on a video here in detail. please check it out.

Watch on video

Olivetti is a manufacturer of computers and calculators. It all started when they commissioned Carlo Scarpa to design a showroom for their products.

Let's take a closer look at the architecture.

Staircase.

The first thing that catches the eye when entering the showroom is the staircase. The marble treads are supported by brass poles and are as light as if they were floating in the air.

A reference to Olivetti being a typewriter company is the longest treadle in the middle section. This is similar to the shape of a typewriter sliding sideways.

(ii) Shimmering mosaic tiles.

Let's have a look at the floor.

The floor design is inspired by the surface of the shimmering lagoon in Venice. You can see better when looking down from the first floor.

The technique of terrazzo is used. But instead of the marble pieces normally used, Venetian glass is used here. The reason for this is that he had worked as a director of a glass factory and knew how to work with glass.

(iii) About the doors.

His designs of the door are thoroughly designed to harmonise with the design of the surroundings of the door. From the outside, the door is not recognisable.

This is the door at the front of the building. It is a delicate design with three doors that move along rails and have no handles. This design influenced Tadao Ando and was followed in his design for Punta della Dogana in Venice.

This is a door for concealing equipment.

(5) Movable and suspended design

He had a passion for movable designs. Instead of being fixed to the floor, they can be hung or moved up and down, left or right. This light is also adjustable up and down.