Pavilion with 1,000 "Brass Grass" Rods Turn Green with Time


The newly opened Tales Pavilion is a space that acts as both a retail shop and a gallery for various international brands and designs. Originally designed for Beijing's 2013 Design Week by Italian designer Luca Nichetto, the commercial venue boasts an eye-catching aesthetic featuring untreated brass tubing that lines the exterior on all sides of the building. Over 1,000 different pipes are used to represent blades of grass and help blend the pavilion with its surrounding environment.

As the brass rods age they will begin to oxidize, creating a soft green patina that will only aid in furthering the design's ability to complement and simulate the adjacent lawn, not to mention giving the space a physical representation of time's passage. However, the brass grass is not the only striking feature of this building. One will find, after traveling the length of a non-linear concrete promenade, an interior space divided into six volumes, each of which is devoted to the application of different colors and materials.

The reception area, located in the center of the building, is covered in recycled oak from houses once found in the local region. Each showroom is connected to this center space and divided by partitions of varying linear patterns allowing the space to still feel open. A sense of curiosity is created as one ascends the stairs to the second floor and is met with an intentional downgrade in light that blends with the gray stone walls. An illuminated staircase leads visitors to a roof top terrace with wood floors, protected by the tubes of brass. Even the bathroom in this building is spectacular; covered with handmade Moroccan tiles.














Luca Nichetto's website
via [Contemporist]

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