Atelier Architettura Chinello Morandi (AACM) has designed an exhibition space for a workshop that features a protruding ceiling, bringing a single zenithal light in Padova, Italy.

Called Mosca.Bianca, the 50-square-meter ceramic workplace where the full terracotta producing process is depicted by a single sculpture.

The form twists from the ceiling and is created like clay on a potter's wheel. The centripetal force of the design gesture tenses the space, focusing the atmosphere on a single zenithal light.

A seemingly monolithic show altar stands out diagonally in the room, resembling a sacred element that precisely matches the lamp that pierces the stereotomic shape above.

Upon closer look, the monolith establishes its own autonomy as a lightweight, tectonic piece of furniture that stands in contrast to the stereotypical space around it. 

There is an interlocking and overlapping character as soon as the sides open to expose a set of functional chairs.

When the seating is removed, the table looks as an architectural structure within an architectural structure, with a thin top made of okumé sheets that appear to be floating in midair and held up by a number of T-frames that resemble gravity-defying cantilevered beams.

The texture of the walls and ceiling is symbolic if the top surface material satisfies the practical requirements for dough workability. 

The cyclical aspect of terracotta's life is symbolized by the rammed-earth plaster, which is made from leftover clay and brick production waste and looks at continuous reuse and recovery.

Not all functions are mentioned, though. The modeling tools are hidden on metal blades, veiled by curtains like in a scenic stage backdrop, and disclosed as needed during workshop activities to preserve story consistency.

Thus, the space tells the story of the artisanal clay-working method. Initially unfinished as plaster, it was then molded and worked into the roof centripetal shape before being exhibited on the wall or exhibition altar under the commanding zenithal light.

Mosca's debut show is called Last Supper. Remembering Leonardo's work, the table's holiness as a display altar is transformed into a chance to showcase working equipment and performers who are typically left out of presentations of finished products. 

It is set up as the "mise en place" of a ceramic dinner that is about to start. The first exhibition in Mosca.Bianca thus invites one to sit down, as at a dinner reception, waiting for the celebration to begin.

Floor plan

Elevation

Elevation

Section

Section

Exploded View Table

Exploded View

Detail

AACM is an architecture office based in Padua and Milan, focusing on residential, commercial and public projects.

Project facts

Project name: Mosca.Bianca

Interior designers: Atelier Architettura Chinello Morandi (AACM)

Team: Arch. Nicolò Chinello, Arch. Ing. Rodolfo Morandi

Size: 50m2

Location: Padova, Italia

Completion date: 2025

All images © Marco Lumini / Catalogo.

All drawings © AACM.

> via AACM

Atelier Architettura Chinello Morandi ceiling exhibition space terracotta workshop interiors