The Building company joins forces with Pininfarina in a perfect blend of historical architecture and interior design

A new residential development is taking shape in Turin, in Via Lagrange, a dialogue between the historical neoclassical lines of the exterior and the contemporary design of the interior. At the heart of the city’s shopping and pedestrian centre, this project will convey the timeless styling for which Turin is renowned the world over. Pininfarina will be in charge of the interior design of the flats for “Lagrange12”, the Building company project to convert the historical palazzo located on the corner of Via Lagrange and Via Giolitti; it will be the first Pininfarina-designed residential project in Italy.

The agreement between Building and Pininfarina is a marriage of intent that is “made in Turin”; both companies develop projects to create icons and landmarks that can express specific epochs and territories, with the goal of generating lasting beauty. This project marks the first time that Pininfarina has created, in Italy and in the company’s home town, Turin, a style of living that it has already exported successfully all over the world. Existing ventures regard the United States (the 1100 Millecento luxury apartment building in Miami and the luxury Beachwalk development in Hallandale Beach, Florida), Singapore (the superb Ferra building, which won the “Object of Desire 2013” award), and residential projects soon to be launched in Brazil. The perfect balance between aesthetics and functional excellence, the blend of comfort, elegance and pure beauty and all the typical elements of the Pininfarina lifestyle will also be recognisable in “Lagrange12”, bestowing a contemporary feel on a 17th century palazzo.

In the interior, the historical structure has been returned to its original elegance by the Building architects, who have followed the same concept of giving residential space enhanced by artistic elements back to the city that had already inspired the project to recover Palazzo Valperga Galleani, in via Alfieri 6. For this building, known as The Number 6, contemporary works of art were commissioned from Richi Ferrero, which can be enjoyed freely in the courtyard that is open to the public.

The Lagrange12 building is a neoclassical structure on an earlier 17th century edifice, with particular and unusual details due to interior renovation work undertaken in the second half of the 20th century, including the addition of a flat roof that offers a wonderful panoramic view over the roofs of Turin, from the hills to the Alps, and over the city’s attractions, from Superga to the Mole Antonelliana, Monte dei Cappuccini and the new skyscrapers by Renzo Piano and Massimiliano Fuksas.

“In this project we have tried to capitalise on Turin’s approach to contemporary art, creating a wonderful fusion of the historical and modern elements, respecting the prestigious character of the location and enhancing it with innovative artistic elements”, underlined Piero Boffa, Building Managing Director. 

“Our roots in Turin and the strong bond that ties us to this region persuaded us to join the team that will develop this extraordinary project”, declared Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina. “Thanks to the unique combination of elegant historical architecture and refined, innovative interior design, Lagrange12 is bidding to become a new emblem of the Turin of tomorrow, alongside other design icons created for the city by Pininfarina, like the Torino 2006 Olympic Torch, the Olympic cauldron erected close to the Olympic Stadium and the interior of the Juventus Stadium”.

Thanks to this project, the palazzo will recover its original elegance by the end of 2015, returning the six totally reconstructed floors above ground and two below ground to the city. The total area of 3500 square metres will accommodate seven exclusive flats, one penthouse and a large boutique taking up two floors, an inspirational European luxury “maison”.

The building is in a strategic position in the centre of town, near Piazza San Carlo and at the heart of Via Lagrange, considered Turin’s new pedestrian precinct. Via Lagrange is the new fashion district and the area where luxury brands like Miu Miu, Prada, Trussardi, Moncler, Cucinelli and Italia Independent have recently opened flagship stores.

The building site got underway at the end of March, and was planned to keep the impact on daily life in the surrounding streets to a minimum, while establishing an unusual dialogue with passers-by. The fencing around the site was designed as a space for everyone, and has been transformed into an open-air art gallery for the works created on site by talented young students from Turin’s Academy of Fine Arts on the theme of ‘Creativity, a common good’. The twelve paintings created on large panels set up all along the boundary of the site will be visible for about a year, until the fencing is removed, and then they will be auctioned for charity

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