To celebrate the 50th spring of its Cassina iMaestri Collection, the Italian publishing house is looking back on as many years of creations through an eventful book, “Echoes, Cassina. 50 years of iMaestri”.
Among the pieces featured is Charlotte Perriand’s astonishing tonneau refuge. Perriand. Known for her now-iconic designs for Le Corbusier, the French designer also brought her creative spirit to solo projects. Among them, the famous “Refuge Tonneau”.
Conceived in 1938, its futuristic lines were inspired by a children’s carousel that Charlotte Perriand had photographed on a trip to Croatia, according to the book. With Le Corbusier’s cousin Pierre Jeanneret, she designed a lightweight metal structure made of aluminum elements.
This process makes the shelter easy to transport and install in just three days. The shelter rests on stilts, enabling it to be placed on any terrain, even steep ones. Finally, its shape makes it wind resistant, and its aluminum cladding frees the shelter from surrounding snow. The interior space is organised around a central metal shaft; thanks to a compact layout, the shelter offers eight beds spread over two floors.
“Echoes, Cassina. 50 years of iMaestri” by Design historian Ivan Mietton under the artistic direction of Nicola Aguzzi of Undo-Redo.
Refuge Tonneau by Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret, Cassina, exhibition at the 9.0 Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation (2017) photo Omar Sartor
Italia I Milán