ZURICH AUDITORIUM

DETAILS

Name: Auditorium Zurich
Location: Milan, Italia
Year: 2008
Typology: Interior
Surface:
SL: 600 sqm
Client: Zurich Insurance Company

In the context of the new Zurich Italia headquarters, Scandurra Studio has designed a hybrid space that perfectly merges the functions of an auditorium and a meeting room, intended to host both private and public events. The space is characterized by an innovative shape, with a trapezoidal base and an irregular volume in the form of an inclined truncated pyramid, evoking a visual cone. Viewed from the outside, its morphology resembles that of a stage, where the audience’s seating becomes expressive elements, without concealing their function. The narrowing towards the diffuser defines the volume, solidifying the lines of a perspective cone and transforming the auditorium into a true “machine” for vision and sound.

Along the longest side of the room, large windows allow natural light to enter, while the short side is designed to host digital projections. The presence of a large window overlooking the central garden of the masterplan provides a visual connection between the interior and exterior, enhancing the perception of space. The large terrace, located on the opposite side, contrasts with the large screen positioned at the lower part of the room, creating a delicate balance between the interior environment and the surrounding natural context.

The design plays with light in a sophisticated way: a series of perspective grids, optical surfaces, and diaphragms control and modulate the diffusion of light, transforming it into an image. The walls and ceiling of the auditorium are designed to reproduce a fade, transitioning from bright white to twilight, in a perspective distortion that amplifies the perception of space. In this way, light becomes an architectural element that not only illuminates but also constructs the atmosphere, playing a fundamental role in defining and experiencing the environment.