They are spaces suspended from the flow, temporary stay areas, spaces in which you pass when moving from one place as you wait to embark for another. Airport lounges aim to make travelers feel at home, even when they are not. They aim to offer a domestic place even if it is a public one and to slow down the rhythm at the very place where it is often frantic.
The interior design project for Casa Alitalia in the boarding area of the Leonardo da Vinci Airport, designed by the architect Marco Piva, in collaboration with the designer Armando Bruno, puts these theories into practice. The entrance is formidable, you enter 1,000 m2 of lounge via an imposing door made of travertine titanium, surrounded by the Alitalia logo and illuminated by coloured LEDs. The lounge has been organised thinking of the needs of all travelers, for tourism and work.
There is a relaxation area with numerous armchairs, the dining and food area as well as a bar and a wine cellar. The more coloured area has been designed for the youngest travelers, the library and the many Philips wall screen help to combat the boredom of waiting. The project offers an alternation of materials in complete harmony one with the other, from the aluminum of Alulife to the glass of Brand Glass and from the new generation Fenix laminate by Arpa Industriale to the Tabu essences.
The comfort of travelers is entrusted to the enveloping Poltrona Frau, with touches of blue chosen in keeping with the new uniforms for the airline, designed by Alberta Ferretti. Another delicate theme in these waiting spaces is the lighting. It must offer rest for the eyes and mind given travelers’ sensibility to light and chromatism, provoked by tiredness and the time difference accumulated during travel.
An imposing customised booshop (3×7 metres) attracts the gaze and attention of more curious clients with a selection of books and Bitossi and Richard Ginori ceramics. The Fiumicino lounge is the third project by Marco Piva for Ailitalia who will also export his format to the JFK of New York.
