“Pedrali60, we design a better future”. Pedrali Pavilion 15th September 2023-10th November 2023

In 2023 Pedrali celebrated its 60th anniversary. It was an opportunity to honour the history of two generations guided by the common vision of designing and producing high-quality furniture that is long-lasting and brings beauty to the places we live in. 
The exhibition "Pedrali60, we design a better future", curated by Luca Molinari Studio, was created specifically for this anniversary and was open not only to Pedrali community stakeholders and architects, but also to schools, customers and citizens. 
The exhibition was staged in the Pedrali Pavilion, a new space designed by AMDL CIRCLE and Michele De Lucchi, at the company headquarters in Mornico al Serio, as a legacy to mark this anniversary. The architectural and exhibition lighting was designed by Studio Switch. 

The entire structure, which is a kind of large, raised roof standing on solid wooden "legs", is made of PEFC-certified wood (larch and fir), a material that reflects Pedrali's fundamental values by embracing both traditional craftsmanship and manufacturing innovation. The project meets the company's desire to create temporary architecture that is destined to have a "second life" in the Pedrali Campus. The result is a study of all the prefabrication-based construction elements that allow, on one hand, construction time optimisation, and on the other, the simplification of assembly and disassembly operations.  

Both the pavilion fronts are open, allowing natural light to flow into the environment. At night, the lighting design developed by Studio Switch, is provided by Palco and Palco InOut, Low Voltage and Main Voltage floodlights, as well as Laser Blade InOut ceiling-mounted luminaires.   

The mezzanine exhibition floor is accessed by a wooden staircase with wide steps that serves the dual function of a point of access to the exhibition and a grandstand where visitors can stand or sit for presentations and events. To match this, Studio Switch developed 3 different scenarios: one for the reception area and grandstand seating, one with elliptical beams to indicate the entrance steps, and one with accent lighting for the speaker and welcome stage with the 60th logo.  

The entire hall lighting system is designed as a crescendo with increasing light values peaking at the exhibition entrance. All these effects are obtained using base-installed Palco InOut floodlights fitted with medium optics. It also benefits from indirect light, reflected by the other luminaires installed inside. The chosen colour temperature of 3000 K emphasises the warm hues of the wood used.  
A visit to the "Pedrali60, we design a better future" exhibition starts beyond the stage at the top of the steps, in a large space empty of accessory structures and partitions. This deliberately flexible area is designed to host temporary exhibitions.  

Here, AMDL CIRCLE have designed two long wooden display elements, each 20 metres long, that guide visitors in a linear narrative thanks to their twin-sided design. On one side these display the Pedrali world of products, tools, catalogues and images, while the other houses a series of multimedia content monitors. Wooden pedestals located between the arched portals enhance the most iconic design pieces that showcase the company's craftsmanship and production skills.  

Studio Switch’s design for the artificial exhibition lighting consists of two minimalist superrail track bars, also featuring an Up emission, on which Palco LV floodlights with Wide Flood optics are installed. The two track lines follow the layout of the exhibition. A third line was deliberately not included in the centre due to the positioning of the screens, so various lighting levels are created between the external corridors and the central one. The indirect illumination of the track lights up the structure, softening the “cave” effect that would have been created using direct lighting, as well as highlighting the overall architecture. 
The accent lighting chosen for the works on display is calibrated and controlled and follows the shape of the exhibition while creating an interplay of light between the darker walkway and the items exhibited. 

A second staircase then leads down to the portico on the ground floor, where the exhibition "Pedrali60, we design a better future" continues with "The Forest of Imagination”, a forest of mirrors interspersed with panels displaying portraits of people from the Pedrali community, illuminated by base-installed Palco InOut Ø 119 mm projectors with medium optics.  
The portico on the ground floor is an intermediate space between the interior and exterior of the structure. Inspired by the ancient loggias of public buildings that were once the centre of civic life in the towns of northern Italy, it gives visitors a place sheltered from the weather, where they can walk, talk and rest. The space housed the second part of “The Forest of Imagination” exhibition and in this more open space, Laser Blade InOut ceiling lights with Wide Flood optics were used to create diffuse and homogeneous lighting. The main difficulty for the lighting in this area was to control it in a way that would avoid creating glare for visitors considering there are suspended mirrors. Studio Switch solved the problem using elliptical optics and ensuring that each floodlight was tilted at the correct angle. Visitors are therefore invited to follow the path outlined by the lights and shadows that highlight the prints telling the Pedrali story.