MEET THE SPEAKER\\ Stefano Capranico, Associate Director, UNStudio

Stefano Capranico, Associate Director at UNStudio, will be guest speaker at SHARE Interiors Bucharest, talking about the remarkable projects of the world-renowned practice and sharing his take on rethinking new great heights in architecture

Stefano Capranico is Associate Director at the globally acclaimed practice UNStudio, having previously served as the Head of Architecture and Interior Design at Pininfarina. He graduated from the Turin Polytechnic Faculty of Architecture in 2007. During his time at Pininfarina, he played a pivotal role in leading the design of prestigious projects such as the Juventus Stadium in Turin, the Cyrela Tower in São Paulo, and Ferra in Singapore. In the 9 years that he has been part of the UNStudio team, he has been involved in successful international competition participations and ground-breaking projects such as FOUR Frankfurt, IPAI – AI Innovation Campus in Helbronn, Eclipse in Dusseldorf, Überseequartier in Hamburg and many others. During his complex professional journey, he gained an extensive experience, shaped by always working in challenging projects defined by superlatives, gargantuan buildings and vast developments, always being in charge of thinking at very high level. Engaged in thought-provoking designs, Stefano Capranico operated mostly on high-rises, from conception to execution, while also stating that beyond the architecture, there is undoubtedly taken into account the unique social, cultural, and economic contexts of each country in which the buildings are implanted.

Certainly one of the most impressive work he had his hands on has been FOUR Frankfurt — four new high-rise towers reaching heights of 228 meters, with a multi-storey plinth and housing mixed-use programmes, large public spaces and incorporated subsidised housing — which will define Frankfurt’s skyline and a new image of cosmopolitan urbanism, right in the centre of the city. A development with this level of urban effect is particularly timely, as Frankfurt is currently aspiring for an even bigger role on the European stage and UNStudio is taking up the mission to be involved in this type of urban transition.

 

 

Another outstanding project that Stefano Capranico played a part in is Eclipse, an elegant vertical work campus rising 60 metres above the ground, located in Dusseldorf and home to the auditing and consulting firm PwC Germany. The overall vision for this intervention is one of transparency and an open gesture towards the surrounding neighbourhood. There is a smooth transition from the outside to the inside where an inviting interior lobby welcomes the visitors.

The interior houses inspiring communication and experience areas, while the lively atria form the spine of the building. The use of powerful colours and the generous light which invades the spaces make the interior a vibrant effervescent environment, ideal for the purpose of the building.

The backbone of the vertical campus is a three-dimensional helix, formed by a series of interior atrium spaces spiralling upwards along the facade. This connects various office programmes and culminates in a panoramic roof garden. The main goal of the design for the campus is to encourage interaction and to nurture creativity by providing an inspirational and attractive work environment for today’s talent.