Part ceramics factory, part ceramics funhouse, the Solimene Factory in Vietri sul Mare, Italy was built in 1954 by famed architect Paolo Soleri.
Soleri’s bold design for the building incorporates a facade of ceramic elements set alongside glass. The large windows flood the building with natural light while the ceramic cones promote the factory’s products. The building serves a variety of functions. It’s a residential space, factory and showroom all in one. The interior is tied together by a spiral ramp, which allows clay to travel downward through the various stages of production into the gift shop below.
Soleri, who died in 2013 at the age of 93, was born in Turin. He studied architecture at the Politecnico di Torino in 1946. That same year he began a fellowship with Frank Lloyd Wright. Among his architectural work, Soleri and his wife Colly were involved in research in urban planning. They founded Arcosanti foundation to test urban design theories.
Above image: The Solimene Ceramic Factory by architect Paolo Soleri.
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The Solimene Ceramic Factory by architect Paolo Soleri.
Concept work for the factory by Paolo Soleri.
Inside Solimene Ceramic Factory. Video courtesy of Franco Di Capua.
Read more about Paolo Soleri at Arcosanti
Visit the factory Ceramica Artistica Solimene
Every morning when I go to work Soleri’s factory stands in Vietri sul Mare. A very important architectural piece we can say a piece of contemporary art.
i guess you call it ‘contemporary’ art because it is still being used today. There is no need to elevate it i think. Great architecture may stand for and do just what Soleri and his wife helped their clients to realise.
Can’t wait for 3 more weeks to revisit this great piece of art ( and make my purchases ).