practical sixties, again.
Sold, sorry.
in the office, the sixties may have been swinging (remember ‚mad men‘?), but overall it was a time of rapid modernisation. and it was the time of modular interiors, designed to fit modern architecture and to adapt to the needs of fast growing companies. one of them was olivetti itself, technically and visually innovative, working with designers and developing new styles. the upcoming trend was towards open-plan offices in which work areas were flexibly divided and furnished, the furniture had to be stable and robust but still easy to transport – no heavy pieces that would occupy the same place for half a century.
one of the first office „systems“ was the ‚arco‘ furniture range by designers banfi, belgiojoso, peressutti and rogers (bbpr). ‚arco‘ (the arch) included desks, side desks, machine tables and storage furniture, like this highboard. the modular character works with a painted steel frame in different sizes, added panels, shelves, drawers and tabletops. the four designers were graduates of the milan polytechnic and are among the most important representatives of italian rationalism of the 1930s. bbpr, founded in 1932, is considered one of the first architectural firms to operate fundamentally as a collective, placing joint creative achievement above the emphasis on individual contributions: „every idea is always our idea“. a very sixties attitude and a sign for a true workshop of modernity. important team projects were, e.g., the torre velasca in milan, the italian pavilion at expo ’58 in brussels and a whole range of functional furniture designs – such as chairs for arflex, lamps for artemide and office furniture (like this) for the olivetti synthesis company.
‚arco‘ highboard, bbpr for olivetti 1963, made of medium grey metal panels and lighter doors in a black frame on angled legs with adjustable hexagonal feet. imprint on the top front: ‚olivetti synthesis‘. dimensions h: 104 cm, w: 129,5 cm, d: 52,5 cm. good original vintage condition, shows signs of use.
about olivetti: https://www.md-mag.com/news/meinung/olivetti/
about bbpr: https://www.ordinearchitetti.mi.it/en/mappe/itinerario/28-the-bbpr-studio-and-milan/saggio
