This year’s Design Week sees a special collaboration between two masters: Giorgio Armani and Tadao Ando.

Just opened in via Bergognone, “The Challenge” is the first exhibition at Armani Silos dedicated to architecture. It showcases the career of the Japanese architect that has distinguished himself for his original use of nature and the combination of elements like water and light in designed spaces.

Giorgio Armani and Tadao Ando share an affinity for minimalism, and their joint work culminated in the early 00s with the visually striking Armani/Teatro building, a project the Japanese architect was called upon due to his sensibility towards the designer’s unadorned style, creating a neutral base for the reveal of new collections. Armani/Teatro is usually not open to the public, but it will be accessible all through the Design Week until April 14th.

“The Challenge” reviews the career of Ando, who won the Pritzker Price in 1995, and is structured around four major themes: Primitive Shapes of Space, An Urban Challenge, Landscape Genesis, Dialogues with History. The retrospective includes over 50 projects, illustrated with sketches, original models, video installations, technical drawings, travel notes and photographs taken by Ando himself.
The creative principles of the master of contemporary architecture are explored through his most significant works, from Row House in Sumiyoshi – Azuma House (1976), to Project in Naoshima (1988 to today) and La Bourse de Commerce in Paris (2019).