AP House | Lissoni & Partners

Inspired by the natural environment of the Vallée de Joux, the project for Audemars Piguet, the renowned Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer, pays homage to the Milanese architectural culture of the twentieth century and to the design world of the 1960s and 1970s. The starting point is therefore Milan, but rather than a simple development of established design codes, the studio adopts a transversal approach where the language of Lissoni translates the historical identity of the brand as if it were an alphabet, revealing its unique character.

 The space in Via Bagutta extends from the fifth to the ninth floor of the former Garage Traversi, a historic rationalist building whose architectural legacy becomes the basis on which to build the leitmotifs of the design.

The vertical connection between the five floors is achieved through the design of a new sculptural steel staircase that is enclosed by a curved wall in backlit onyx, bringing together histories and places.

In addition to office and sales areas, the AP House features a lounge space where guests can unwind and relay in a homely atmosphere, an immersive virtual reality world that takes visitors into a magical forest, an entire floor where Audemars Piguet watchmaker can be admired working on the timepieces, a watch exhibition floor displaying contemporary and heritage timepieces, as well as a rooftop with bar.

The squared tapisserie pattern, typical of the dial of some the brand's watches, finds diverse expression in the interiors: on the bright entrance canopy, on the onyx wall surrounding the staircase, on the ceilings and on the surfaces that customize the display systems.

A great attention was devoted to developing the design of custom-made displays and showcases, where meticulous details are essential in order to provide an appropriate and fitting response to the specific needs of each product, creating spaces that are innovative and aesthetically unique. The key factors are not the individual solutions or the precious materials in themselves, but the overall effect that they are able to produce.

Design team:
Piero Lissoni with
Interior design: Roberto Berticelli, Rodrigo Tellez, Tania Zaneboni, Federica Ravera, Chiara Carraro, Iacopo Taddeo, Tianzhou Chen
Designers: Hanna Ehlers, Line Hachem, Enea Colombo
Graphics: Chiara Boselli, Ludovica Niero
Rendering: Alessandro Massi Mauri