FOCUS

Contemporary interiors

Giampiero Peia explicitly refers to Ignazio Gardella as his “spiritual father“ when he speaks of himself as an architect.
It was under the scholarship of this figure, considered the father of modern architecture in Italy, that Peia took his first professional steps.
After seven years of partnership with Gardella he opened his own practice in 1995.
Within a few years he has managed to turn the office into one of the most creative architectural teams in Italy, winning several competitions and earning a name for himself as one of the best ‘under 40’ architects between 1998 and 2000.
During this period he completed a number of outstanding projects, including the TAD concept store in Rome, a cemetery in Ascoli Piceno and the expansion of the Town Hall in San Donato Milanese.After three years of partnership with Piero Lissoni, since 2004 he has joined forces with Marta Nasazzi, his current partner.
The office is now working on several projects, ranging from master plans for residential and commercial buildings around the world, from Milano to Kuala Lumpur, from Doha to Shanghai.
Italian projects include a tourist complex on Italy’s lake Maggiore, featuring homes, a hotel with spa, a sports centre, a conference hall and a yachting club, currently in the planning phase, and a mediatheque with public library, archives and coffee-shops, recently completed in Fidenza.
Of particular interest is the work of Peia Associati in Qatar.
“The Oyster”, in Doha, Qatar is a real estate sales centre in a domed pavilion, set on the famous artificial island of “The Pearl”.In association with AEB the studio has designed the Alfardan Towers: two commercial buildings offering luxury services, such as an innovative podium with high level brands, restaurants, a spa and a swimming pool on the 39th and 40th floors.
Other projects in Doha include a 62 storey tower with luxury apartments for the Kempinski Hotel, currently under construction.

Monica Zerboni