Gilded reflections for a symbolic building
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Gilded reflections for a symbolic building

Peia Associati

Gilded reflections for a symbolic building
By Editorial Staff -
Oikos colore e materia per l'architettura has participated in the project

The Daisaku Ikeda Cultural Center for Peace is a temple, civic hall and auditorium for the Buddhist community in south-west Milan. The decoration for the new prayer room was created through the cooperation of Oikos and the Peia Associati architecture practice. It consists of a richly nuanced gilded surface created specifically for this project. 

The temple recalls a carp perched right above the water, creating a reflective play with its gilded skin. This is a clear reference to the golden fish of Buddhist symbolism, an emblem of growth and transformation in the meeting and interaction of different traditions and cultures, landscape and architecture, shapes and materials. 

Oikos’s approach to the project - part of a larger plan to revamp an old farming complex - is a clear representation of the company’s mission and philosophy, built on design that is responsible and respects the environment. Oikos sees such upgrade projects as not only giving new life to the buildings, but also to the materials, natural resources and environmental heritage. 

This is the paradigm to understand Oikos’s commitment to working alongside the designer to find unique, beautiful decorative, material and color solutions in complete respect for the environment and in synergy with the underlying project concept. 

The large main hall of the Daisaku Ikeda Cultural Center for Peace can hold up to 1,000 people for religious or secular events. It has a theater layout and opens onto the exterior through a glazed façade. 

The walls around the stage/altar were designed to create a precious nucleus for which Oikos created the surface embellished with gilded nuances. 

The material finish, finalized with input from the architecture practice, creates a shimmering effect for the wall when the natural light floods in through the front. This surface can even be seen from the outside, with the viewing angle and distance resulting in changing effects. 

The end result was a truly symbolic, beautiful space that creates a powerful link to the surrounding landscape. 

 

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