A temple for American cinema

I mean Central European countries, to be shaken up and stop postponing changes. The first question to ask is, why should people return to working in offices? The answer is, because we want to do it, not because we need to do it. That’s the magic. The knowledge-based workplace of tomorrow is a temple of values, purpose and belonging. Considering that we’ve all learned that remote work is less scary than we said it was for years, now we have new and valid options for places to work besides the classic head office or headquarters, be it at home, in decentralized hubs or coworking spaces. We’re going to start seeing less concentration-based spaces, where the traditional desk is less important, and we’ll focus more on everything that starts with “co”: collaboration, co-creation, communications -- everything that can be done together, which can foster a sense of identity and belonging. The office of tomorrow is a social space, it’s a cultural project rather than a facility-management project. We like to say that identity is the new facility. This is the big theme. Change has been constant and it’s accelerating for all of us, everywhere. So, we don’t really know how we’re going to be working in, say, five years’ time. Our tools are changing constantly, miniaturization and mobilization are still evolving. As we move from departments towards a more matrix-based, process-oriented way of working, we need to create something that’s both agile and has more character. The negotiation between identity and agility is at the core of workplace design because we’ve all learned that we’re looking for our individuality. We don’t want to be just a number or a part of the system; we want to use the efficiency of the system. So, we have to create a system that doesn’t look like a system. We have the chance to create architecture or interiors that not only enable flexibility but can also be spaces where people are less scared about change because they see opportunity in them. We’ll also be focusing far more on wellbeing, sound solutions and sustainability, responding to our need to connect to nature and experience ourselves in our physical presence in an increasingly virtual world since technology has deprived us of nature. In this accelerated world we are concerned about our health. All of this plays a key role in introducing a totally different language to workplace architecture.

Ippolito Fleitz Group office, Stuttgart, Germany

Please tell us about your relationship with Italy and Made in Italy design. Do you choose Italian brands for your projects? I’m half Italian since my father comes from Sicily, but, unfortunately, I don’t speak the language. I think “being in-between” — half-Italian, half-German — is the theme of our work since my partner [Gunter Fleitz] is German and we like this kind of in-between situation. We have a sense of style and beauty and this idea of enjoying the world by creating something that’s enjoyable. As for Made in Italy, how could you not be attracted to Italian design? It’s a fantastic source of products that come close to understanding how people want to live and translating that. The area around Milan -- where many mid-size companies, often run by their owners, are very innovative in their process through idea, mock-up and product — is unique in a globalized world. It’s also remarkable how well Italy promotes and markets its design abroad.

Do you and Mr. Fleitz play different roles in your firm? Traditionally I’m more the designer and Gunter manages the projects, but as our studio has grown, our roles became more fluid. I’m still overseeing the design phase in many projects and I’m the one who travels more to our international offices, while Gunter deals with the German market in terms of key accounting decisions. We’ve known each other and been friends for so long. The impressive part of our story is that we are still friends after 20 years of running a business together.

Tell us about your ongoing and future work. We work on several huge workspace projects. “Heads” in Aschheim, for example, is Germany’s first immune office – a workspace designed with meticulous attention to health and well-being. For our client Beiersdorf we are working on a new corporate headquarters in Hamburg and we’re in the middle of finishing offices for wellknown brands such as Ritter Sport and Bionade. Besides that, we’re designing a new corporate architecture for Geberit and Poggenpohl to reach a global market. And in Shanghai we currently develop several iconic mall projects throughout China, one of them being located in the new OPPO headquarters, the latest Shenzhen landmark by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Floating Connection guesthouse, Germany

The brand-new Academy Museum in Los Angeles was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, inspired by the infinite possible worlds imagined by film, expanding and renovating a futuristic example of Streamline architecture

388 million dollars, 7 floors, 28,000 square meters, and the ultra-prestigious signature of the best-loved Italian architect in the United States, Renzo Piano. Its location is the Mecca of American movies, Los Angeles. These are some of the record-breaking numbers of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, billed as an “unparalleled experiences in the universe of the arts, sciences, artists, and the social impact of motion pictures.” It courageously cut the ribbon in late September 2021, despite the hard blow the pandemic has dealt the world of culture and entertainment. The new museum is the culmination of a dream over 90 years old, as the ambitious idea

Client: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Architectural design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop Executive architect: Gensler Project manager: Paratus Group Civil engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers Lighting design, structural engineer: Buro Happold Façade consultant: Knippers Helbig Landscape architect: LRM Landscape Architects Theater design: Arup North America Acoustics A/V: Jaffe Holden Acoustics Restaurant design: Commune Design Fire/life safety: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Leed consultant team: Atelier Ten Interior façade: Walter P. Moore Building conservation experts: John Fidler Preservation Technology Exhibition design: WHY Architecture Glass fabricator: Saint Gobain Vertical transportation: HKA Elevator Consulting Furnishings: Poltrona Frau (David Geffen Theater)

Author: Elena Franzoia Photo credits: Iwan Baan, Nic Lehoux, Joshua White

was launched in 1929 by then Academy President Douglas Fairbanks. It was built thanks to the support of 13,000 donors attracted by a promotional campaign led by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. In addition to Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the project bears the signature of the global network Gensler, which oversaw the executive project, and WHY Architecture, responsible for the spectacular, multimedia display of the core gallery spaces covering over 2,800 square meters. This exhibition, which will change often, as the name Stories of Cinema suggests, making room for a wide spectrum of voices and themes, displaying in rotation an enormous variety of memorabilia, all with different conservation needs. Other sections feature temporary exhibitions (the inaugural one is of Japanese master of animation Hayao Miyazaki), special collections (such as Richard Balzer’s collection about pre-cinema) and immersive experiences, such as simulations of Oscar presentations, complete with red carpet for visitors.