DONASSY ATELIER 02 | Vanja Ilić

ATELIER DONASSY / 02

The design for the interior of Atelier D in Zagreb, by the architect Vanja Ilić, is an example of the kind of project that is frequently spoken of, but rarely becomes a reality: the maximal transformation of a space with minimal physical (and financial) interventions. Collaboration between the architect and the fashion brand started while designing a pop-up store in 2012.

Atelier Donassy / 02 is shaped as a flexible exhibition-retail space for presenting the work of fashion designer Branka Donassy, as well as exhibitions by other artists. The project completely transforms the neglected space for a new purpose, but without interfering in the building’s structure.

The design approach is based on an analysis of the neglected state of the building as a spatial condition without an identity, so that the total transformation of the space might be undertaken while maintaining all the useable parts of the interior, irrespective of their aesthetic value. The existing space is thus accepted as a volume to be transformed as much as possible using minimally ‘aggressive’ physical interventions. The approaches used to transform the space therefore fall under the scope of carefully thought-out alterations, cutting or colouring the existing and still usable elements. This approach resulted in an extremely rationalised adaptation, which entirely preserved the building’s dimensions, as well as the openings on the façade, the bars, and the ‘ugly’ ceramic flooring.

The entire interior is an original design created through experimentation with the use of materials produced for entirely different purposes. Elastic textiles for sports clothing, as well as roofing underlayment – vapour barriers, are decontextualized so that their universal characteristics (elasticity, translucence, lightness, reflectivity) might come into the fore and take on new functions. They are transformed and shaped into utilitarian spatial elements, and as such in the approach to realising this project architecture, fashion and product design techniques overlap, relying primarily on the production resources of the client.

During the design process the methodology of the project’s execution was considered, so that as many elements as possible could be created within Atelier D, that is, created using dressmakers’ constructions and sewing techniques. In keeping with this, the production of all the textile elements was in collaboration with the designer Branka Donassy and produced by Atelier D, while the majority of the interventions (apart from the electrics and the metal elements), were created by the client and the architect themselves.

The ceiling is made up of a large, translucent elastic membrane that is easily removed and washable. It forms a unique lighting system, in order to achieve optimal, diffuse lighting. It is fixed to the existing structure in a dotted pattern, offering space for fluorescent lighting tubes, and the elements used to fix it in place simultaneously serve as hooks for the exhibits, which float in the space on invisible nylon strings.

The clothing racks are mobile (on wheels) and foldable, which allows the space to be transformed quickly. The changing room is like a floating sculpture made of plastic-coasted silver aluminium foil (originally a roofing vapour barrier), created using precise mathematical modular crimping over a smaller base, eventually resulting in a seemingly irregular form that reflects light and introduces the discreet presence of sound when used. Using the same approach, a table inherited from the previous Atelier D was also transformed, with a wrapping of modularly-formed black textile on a base of plastic-coated silver aluminium foil – an inversion of the changing room.

The black longitudinal wall of the atelier deepens the space and creates a contrasting backdrop for the items on display. The neutral white curtains on the façade allow for the space to be closed off into an intimate “white cube”, like the intimacy of one’s own room. They also allow, conversely, for the space to be completely opened up towards the street, thus integrating Atelier D with the cultural and public life of the city.