Lorena Alessio: architecture, ceramics and project

1. What does creating architecture today mean to you? 

It's about exploring our whole way of expressing ourselves through form and space. It's a continuous quest for the right balance between plenum and void, carefully creating everything that serves a purpose not just in terms of function, but taking into account our sensations, moods and relationship with nature. It's about enduring values, which are nevertheless often forgotten and need to be expressed in a contemporary manner.

2. What do you see as the architectural advantages of ceramics today, and on the other hand what do you think needs to be done to make this material more popular with the world of architecture and design?

There are three aspects of ceramics that I find particularly interesting. The first is the potential for aesthetic expression, linked to the strong nature of the material. The second is the scope for innovative and experimental technological research. It fascinates me to think of ceramics as non-coplanar, as three-dimensional. The third is their modular nature and the possibility of variations and combinations. All these elements can enrich a project and make it stand out.

3. What are you working on now?

I've had the opportunity to develop large-scale urban projects as well as interior design projects.

At the moment, we have just finished a preliminary project for a mixed-use development in a new urban area in Taiwan. Here the challenge was to create a strong urban and local identity, while still developing a highly compact project.

Another really interesting project for us was the restyling of a chain of Italian restaurants in Japan, with one model restaurant already completed, and others to follow. Our design project in this case involved re-interpreting Italian landscapes and scenery, with ample use of a typically Mediterranean colour palette.