Architecture rarely comes about through the efforts of one person alone. The exhibition Tribute. Architecture as a Form of Dialogue by the Florentine practice Archea Associati takes this as its starting point: eleven international projects – among them the Antinori nel Chianti Classico Winery nestled in the Tuscan hills, the Air Albania Stadium in Tirana and the spectacular Kiss Bridge in Phú Quốc, Vietnam – are told not from the perspective of the architectural practice, but from that of the clients. Curated by Luca Molinari Studio, the exhibition at Aedes places them centre stage – as equal partners in the design process who articulate requirements, shape decisions and co-author the content of projects. On show are large-scale film interviews with clients from Europe and Asia, alongside models that make the "narrated" projects spatially tangible.
ARCHITECTURE AS DIALOGUE
That architecture is a collective endeavour is one of the discipline's foundational insights. Tribute builds on this by consciously shifting the narrative perspective: it is not the practice that explains its design decisions – the clients do. They speak of expectations, competing objectives and the long journey from idea to built form.
The title Tribute. Architecture as a Form of Dialogue is programmatic: Archea Associati conceives this exhibition as an expression of gratitude to those without whom none of their buildings would have come into being. It is about rendering visible a practice that is always shaped through conversation, negotiation and mutual trust.
The projects span very different cultural and geographical contexts – from Florence to Tirana, Taipei and Vietnam – demonstrating that this dialogue follows no universal formula, but must be renegotiated each time anew.
Antinori nel Chianti Classico Winery, Bargino (San Casciano in Val di Pesa), IT, 2012. © Pietro Savorelli e Associati
PROJECTS IN THE EXHIBITION
The selection comprises eleven projects of varying typologies and scales:
– Antinori nel Chianti Classico Winery, Bargino (San Casciano in Val di Pesa), IT, 2012
– Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park, sports centre, Bagno a Ripoli, Florence, IT, 2023
– Hand Production Building Salvatore Ferragamo, factory, Florence, IT, 2021
– Alban Tower, mixed-use building, Tirana, AL, 2023
– Air Albania Stadium, Tirana, AL, 2019
– Breus Art Centre, Tbilisi, GE, ongoing
– Kiss Bridge, Phú Quốc, VN, 2023
– ECEPDI – East China Electronic Power Design Institute, office building, Shanghai, CN, 2024
– Hope Square, office building, Taipei, TW, 2021
– Leo France Factory, Florence, IT, 2024
– Eataly Store, former wine warehouse, Trieste, IT, 2017
Air Albania Stadium, Tirana, AL, 2019. © Pietro Savorelli e Associati, Liridon Cani
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
The exhibition combines two levels of presentation: a filmic installation featuring video interviews recorded in Europe and Asia, produced with the support of Pietro Savorelli e Associati, and models of the featured projects positioned centrally within the space. Both elements are in direct dialogue with one another: the models anchor the filmed narratives in the built object, enabling different yet complementary approaches to the design process.
ECEPDI – East China Electronic Power Design Institute, Shanghai, CN, 2024. © Charlie Xia, Pietro Savorelli e Associati
ABOUT ARCHEA ASSOCIATI
Laura Andreini, Marco Casamonti, and Giovanni Polazzi, graduates of the School of Architecture of the University of Florence, Italy, founded Studio Archea in the same city in 1988. Their practice grew and developed, and in 2001 Silvia Fabi joined them in creating Archea Associati. The practice works internationally and has realised projects in Europe, China, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Albania, where it has also established offices.
Alongside architectural design practice – ranging from individual buildings to urban planning schemes – the partners are engaged in research and teaching at Italian universities. Publications, exhibitions and events accompany the practice's work; it also participates regularly in international competitions and has received numerous awards.
