Fifty years of Quaderna and the legacy of Superstudio

Index of contents, Indice dei contenuti The enfants terribles of architecture. Here is the Superstudio Gli enfants terribles dell’architettura: ecco a voi il Superstudio Ⅱ Introducing three new Quaderna Quaderna. Tre nuovi omaggi Ⅲ Why, fifty years later, Superstudio is still so relevant Del perché, cinquant’anni dopo, Superstudio sia ancora così attuale. Collective thinking Pensiero plurale The image is everything L’immagine è tutto Superarchitecture, Supersuperficie and the Istogrammi: the ABC of Superstudio Superarchitettura, Supersuperficie e Istogrammi: l’ABC del Superstudio Networks and...

The enfants terribles of architecture. Here is the Superstudio “We worked with enthusiasm, like a new Bloomsbury group or like the contemporary Factory, coagulating around us a variety of artistic and scientific skills to generate collective works… which were unexpected and disruptive within the official channels of the regimental cultural conformism” Superstudio è il nome di un gruppo di architettura concettuale fondato a Firenze nel 1966 da Adolfo Natalini e Cristiano Toraldo di Francia, ai quali si aggiunsero nel 1967 Roberto Magris, nel 1968 Gian Piero Frassinelli e nel 1970 Alessandro Magris...

Introducing three new Quaderna On the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary, the Quaderna collection is supplemented by the restyled release of two original products already present in Superstudio's historical “Serie Misura M” catalogue and the creation of a special piece derived from an unprecedented Istogramma, a tribute by Zanotta to the Florentine group. The existing six items of furniture are now supplemented by a desk, a coffee table and a carpet. The desk, which is compact and functional in size, conceals a practical retractable drawer that occupies the full width of the desktop. Ideal...

Table, Tavolo

Table, Tavolo Table, Tavolo Table, Tavolo Detail, Detta

Table ⁄ Writing desk, Tavolo ⁄ Scrivania ↗↓ Table ⁄ Writing desk, Tavolo ⁄ Scrivania

Small table, Tavolino Console desk, Consolle + Small table, Tavolino Console desk, Consolle

Desk, Scrittoio Retractable drawer, Cassetto a scomparsa

Desk, Scrittoio Retractable drawer, Cassetto a scomparsa Coffee table, Tavolino Details, Dettagli

Carpet, Tappeto Cod. 150 100% New Zealander wool, Lana neozelandese From an original drawing, Da un disegno originale di Cristiano Toraldo di Francia Complete series, Serie completa

Why, fifty years later, Superstudio is still so relevant La breve ma intensissima vicenda di Superstudio ha segnato la storia dell’architettura e influenzato i più bei nomi del gotha contemporaneo, da Rem Koolhaas a Zaha Hadid o Arata Isozaki. Ma come ha fatto un gruppo che ha portato avanti una riflessione teorica sul ruolo dell’architettura e del design a diventare leggendario e a trasmettere un’impronta ancora oggi così profonda e attuale? Collective thinking Pensiero plurale As mentioned earlier, the strength and the importance of Superstudio lies in its collective and interdisciplinary approach,...

and requirement. The Istogrammi di Architettura (Histograms of Architecture) are created, in other words “non-continuous three-dimensional diagrams”9, a kind of chequered bricks which, devised in various scales, can generate furniture, architectures or even entire cities depending on the size of the side. The Istogrammi represent at the same time the ultimate effectiveness of the system and its negation: by becoming the module of all the functions and possible uses, they in fact invalidate the need to invent new shapes and induce new needs. So a grid-like mesh on a white background paradoxically...

Simplicity is hard to achieve New York, 10014 US 23, Cornelia street A Chequered World. Fifty years of Quaderna and the legacy of Superstudio © 2022 Zanotta Spa, all rights reserved Archive images: Courtesy of Archivio Toraldo di Francia, Filottrano Graphic design: Think Work Observe Photography: Simone Barberis (pp. 06–19) Copywriting: Mavì Cerenza Print: Grafiche Antiga, 2022 La semplicità è difficile da raggiungere Oggetti trasversali, flessibili, semplici ma di grande impatto visivo, i prodotti della collezione Quaderna sono il frutto di un processo altamente industrializzato e — al tempo...

As design gradually became frozen in this huge chequered freezer, ideas thawed and melted after a long, long frost. And design and architecture became light, irrelevant and ever lighter in weight… On cover: Superstudio: Cristiano Toraldo di Francia , Unreleased Architecture Histogram, 1969-1972.