SO-IL Breathes Life into Milan

SO-IL describes the 80-m² (860-sf) installation as "a loose stack of porous realms" that "shines a spotlight on environmental awareness and encourages visitors to confront our tendency to take resources for granted." It comprises six "potential rooms" on three levels plus a roof deck, all housed in a structure framed in a modular metal frame and covered in a taut fabric skin. The latter recalls the studio's Kukje Gallery in Korea and, more recently, their Shrink-Wrapped Storefront for Art and Architecture.

Occupying an unused 50-m² (540-sf) lot at Via Tortona 32 in Milan, Breathe adheres to MINI's principles of "creative use of space" and "minimal footprint." MINI LIVING's creative lead, Oke Hauser, described it in a statement as "an active ecosystem, which makes a positive contribution to the lives and experiences of the people who live there and to the urban microclimate."

Although a breathable, translucent skin seems less than ideal as an enclosure in urban areas, MINI LIVING contends that the mobile and adaptable structure's "fabric is interchangeable, and can be replaced with one that performs appropriately to different climates." As installed, the fabric skin has a coating that filters and neutralizes the air, while the roof collects rainwater for reuse.

Those who miss MINI LIVING – Breathe during its brief tenure during Salone del Mobile this week can catch another installation at A/D/O in Brooklyn later this year.