Ferrari birthplace

A WAVE, A RIBBON DRIVEN BY THE WIND: ITS SKIN IN ALUMINIUM AND GLASS IS THE TRADEMARK OF THE FERRARI DESIGN CENTER AT MARANELLO.

Like a ribbon shaped by the wind: a metal screen wraps the Ferrari Centro Stile in Maranello, amidst works of architecture by Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel and Massimiliano Fuksas. The Centro Stile holds its own in this daunting context, catching the eye and conveying emotion. Flavio Manzoni, director of the design center, has done the project in collaboration with Ferrari Real Estate, the London-based firm Design International helmed by Davide Padoa, and Studio Planning headed by Stefano Neri in Bologna (plus the contribution of Officina di Architettura of Elena Pancaldi for the interior design of several spaces). Manzoni explains: «The material construction was quick, just about one year. But the formation of the Centro Stile, not just as a building but as a division of the company, has been a long process. When I left Volkswagen in 2010 and came to Ferrari as design director, the group had a tradition of working with great car designers like Pininfarina, Zagato or racing. single and But Bertone. Sergio real “house” At model first Marchionne This in making, there began which was with was presentation to some gather on Enzo our doubt the Ferrari, side, of functions about new convinced when and my of custom the plan design, that focus to solutions. design create was virtual on or a styling mechanical mean product. much more So after than working putting in an a attractive rather makeshift garment way, on the in 2016 the decision was made to create a true Centro Stile with its own facilities». How was the design of the building approached? «In the same way one designs a car. Concepts and testing, drawings and models. At first we thought about industrial architecture with a fluid, dynamic structure, suggesting speed. But then we realized that would not be in tune with the functions. There were also the factors of timing and costs to be considered. So we opted for a simple, rationalist core, on four levels, and a skin that would add the vital thrust, an idea of movement». Hence the ribbon, inspired by the bodywork of Ferraris, which Davide Padoa – creator of the design – sees as «accelerations that create a dynamic intersection of planes and curves». A composition of triangular drawn and gilded aluminium panels and clear glass, hung on a metal structure: separated by a few centimeters, the pieces convey the sense of an instantaneous explosion. And this skin is not merely decorative: it serves, Manzoni says, «to protect our work from sunlight and prying eyes. After one year of operation, the complex is proving to be perfectly suited to the activities it contains. Every function has its space, all interconnected. Level -1 is for model storage; the ground level for the reception and the model workshop, from clay to resin, using very advanced CNC machinery. The first floor is for offices and a large open area for the designers, while the upper level contains a presentation area with a giant high-definition screen. THE END