Defining the fine life

Architecture to furniture, Italian skills and craftsmanship continue to influence the UAE.

Italian architectural finesse and expertise have impressed people since ancient times. The cultural legacy of Italy's great classical past has affected the art and architecture of the country through the centuries. Following the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476, a succession of different populations introduced into Italy foreign artistic traditions of varying degrees of importance. Among them, the Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods are of particular significance.

After the unification of Italy, innovative and spectacular monuments such as the Victor Emmanuel II Monument in Rome, were built. The trend continued into the 20th century resulting in monumental buildings in Rome and other cities.

The economic recovery of Italy after World War II produced a number of spectacular buildings, particularly those of Pier Luigi Nervi, who created original architectural forms out of reinforced concrete.

Italian architects have continued to contribute their skills in this century. Recent examples are high-tech architecture such as the Pompidou Centre in Paris, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and the Italian-born British architect Richard Rogers in 1977, and the conversion of the Gare d'Orsay, a magnificent old railway station in Paris, into a museum of 19th-century art called the Musée d'Orsay, by the Italian architect Gae Aulenti in 1986.

Business ties

Along with the steady flow of Italian products into the UAE for the past three decades, Italian companies providing architectural design and construction have also set up business here. Lucherini Associati Ing. Architectural Consulting has provided international consulting engineering services since 1972. The current organisation founded in 1991 has completed many projects in Italy and in other countries including the UAE, Kenya, Sudan and Switzerland.

Lucherini has been associated with the design and supervision of the Emirates Heritage Club of Abu Dhabi and infrastructure landscaping and marine works involving planning and supervision for Musnoha Island in Abu Dhabi Bay. The company has also worked on residential and commercial buildings as well as sport and recreational complexes, tourism projects and religious and monumental buildings in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Lucherini also provides interior decoration and furnishing.

Major import

Products such as marble and granite that are synonymous with elegant interiors and exteriors constitute a major import from Italy. One of the most prominent Italian marble and stone providers is Fantini Mosiaci, which boasts more than a century of history and four generations of exclusive art decorations in mosaic, seminato and pebble stone, and fabrication and installation of marble, granite and stone. Fantini selects the best marble, stone and granite to create outstanding patterns and compositions that complement the design and functionality of every project.

Italian-designed products that complete the home, such as furniture for bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms, are also in great demand in the UAE, especially in view of the ongoing construction boom.

Natuzzi, the world-renowned Italian furniture brand, has its biggest stand-alone showroom in Dubai. Natuzzi takes pride in providing not just products but complete lifestyle solutions for individual preferences and tastes through furniture meant for its three worlds - casual, urban and vintage. An extensive range of classic leather and casual furniture to modern, contemporary designs complemented by a range of fine leather, glass, ceramic and metal accessories are available in Natuzzi Dubai.

Innovative kitchen

The Italian kitchen, as interpreted by designers such as Boffi, features innovative and pleasing contemporary lines and ergonomic attention to detail. Close attention is paid to beauty and harmony even in kitchen accessories such as vent hoods, custom countertops, sinks and more.

One of the most renowned institutions that has been involved in promoting Italian design in the Emirates is Pavia, Institute for Advanced Study (IUSS), launched in 1997. In January 2007, the institute will host a Design Seminar on ‘Urban culture and Landscape Renewal' directed by Professor Angelo Bugatti.

This extraordinary training opportunity combines different cultural experiences and methodologies in the field of cities' transformations. It examines the relation between existing settlements and developing ones and the renewal of urban areas and historical buildings.

"The landscape renewal and the transformation of urban areas represent nowadays one of the most difficult challenges for the architectural discipline, which deals both with local and global issues," says Bugatti.

"Following that, the International Design Seminar represents a meaningful way for both students and professors to find answers to this challenge, thanks to a multi-cultural approach that has already been successfully applied all over the world."