Completed late last year, the Bulbo Gallery in Milan is a private underground art space by Attilio Stocchi with Gino Guarnieri. Located in the client's back garden, the structure's multi-faceted form is deceptive; rather than exist as a spiky suburban intervention, it is actually buried out of sight, with only the upper portions of the seven light cones poking up above the ground.
Armed with this knowledge, the multi-faceted interior walls is rather claustrophobic, dark and perverse, with cinematic shafts of light rippling off the angled walls. The apparently random form was derived from the constraints placed by the site – a tree root here, a water tank there, as well as existing foundations scattered around.
Faced with an unruly, awkward plan, Guarnieri and Stocchi simply continued to eat into the space with angles and twists. The result is a mysterious little monument to culture, a secular space with a sacred feel, in line with Stocchi's aim of creating a living, breathing atmosphere. 'In architecture, restraint is always a close friend,' the 44-year old architect says.
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Discover the work of Richard England, the lesser-known postmodernist from MaltaRichard England, arguably Malta's most influential architect, might not be as well-known as others in the postmodernist realm, but he has been prolific, his work mesmerising and inspiring to this day; we visited a show in Marseille surveying his career
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In need of validation in a narcissistic world? Reflect on the power of mirrorsHave you ever spoken to your reflection and told it that you love it? Look into your eyes, and give it a go - here are a few mirrors to help
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A striking new cinema glows inside Madrid’s Reina Sofia MuseumBarcelona-based studio Bach reimagines a historic auditorium as a crimson-and-blue dreamscape
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Step inside Casa Moncler, the brand’s sustainable and highly creative Milanese HQCasa Moncler opens its doors in a masterfully reimagined Milanese industrial site, blending modern minimalism and heritage, courtesy of ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
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Aldo Frattini Bivouac is a mountain shelter, but not as you know itA new mountain shelter on the northern Italian pre-Alp region of Val Seriana, Aldo Frattini Bivouac is an experimental and aesthetically rich, compact piece of architecture
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The 2026 Winter Olympics Village is complete. Take a look insideAhead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, taking place in Milan in February, the new Olympic Village Plaza is set to be a bustling community hub, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
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Anish Kapoor designs Naples station as a reflection of ‘what it really means to go underground’A new Naples station by artist Anish Kapoor blends art and architecture, while creating an important piece of infrastructure for the southern Italian city
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‘Landscape architecture is the queen of science’: Emanuele Coccia in conversation with Bas SmetsItalian philosopher Emanuele Coccia meets Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets to discuss nature, cities and ‘biospheric thinking’
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This historic Sicilian house cost one euro. Go inside its transformationPalermo-based firm Didea teamed up with AirBNB to reimagine the once-dilapidated property in vibrant colour blocks
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A guide to Renzo Piano’s magic touch for balancing scale and craft in architectureProlific and innovative, Renzo Piano has earned a place among the 20th century's most important architects; we delve into his life and career in this ultimate guide to his work
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How was Carlo Ratti’s ‘Intelligens’? Wallpaper* editors discuss the 19th Venice BiennaleHaving visited ‘Intelligens’, the 19th Venice Biennale's main show by curator Carlo Ratti, the Wallpaper* editors discuss what they saw at the world's biggest global architecture festival
