{"id":603361,"date":"2026-04-30T13:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?p=603361"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:20:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:20:32","slug":"ephemeral-by-design-carlo-ratti-associati-x-mutti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/ephemeral-by-design-carlo-ratti-associati-x-mutti\/","title":{"rendered":"Ephemeral by Design: Carlo Ratti Associati x Mutti"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Milan Design Week<\/strong><\/a> comes to a close, the Fuorisalone<\/strong><\/a> installation that lingers in my mind is once again that which puts a design spin on the familiar. MIT professor and architect Carlo Ratti<\/strong><\/a> partnered with Mutti<\/strong><\/a> to create House of Polpa<\/strong>, a temporary structure that turns one of the most ubiquitous pantry staples into an immersive architectural experience. Canned goods are rarely the subject of design discourse, yet their cultural presence is undeniable, as Andy Warhol underscored decades ago.<\/p>\n

\"Large<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/a><\/p>\n

Here, that same basic can became the starting point for a different kind of exploration. Installed beneath the portico of the Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, approximately twenty thousand cans of Mutti tomato pulp were supported by a steel substructure that allows them to be stacked and gradually removed without compromising their stability.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Visitors walked through the red volume spanning more than 25 meters. Inside, the experience move beyond the visual. Subtle cues of scent, texture, and sound created a sensorial environment referencing the tomato supply chain.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Rows<\/a><\/p>\n

Circularity is also embedded throughout. The flooring, developed using a Mapei resin made from dried tomato peels recovered from processing waste, reinforces the project\u2019s ethos. Nothing there was purely symbolic. Each element points back to cycles of production, use, and reuse. In essence, the project is designed to be ephemeral.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Visitors were invited to remove a can of Mutti Polpa as an example of participation through consumption. The dissolving structure will extend the exhibit\u2019s life into many pasta dinners throughout the region. For the cans that remain, they will be donated. The dispersal of the project is what makes it so compelling. The installation\u2019s destination will be someone\u2019s kitchen, showing how design can minimize waste by thinking beyond single use.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a> \"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Images by Saverio Lombardi Vallauri<\/a>, courtesy of INTERNI Magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A temporary pavilion of 20,000 Muuti tomato cans transforms pantry staple into a participatory architecture\u2014blending sensory storytelling with circular design as visitors dismantle the structure one can at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":603363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1],"tags":[],"internal_flag":[],"class_list":["post-603361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-main","column-taste"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEphemeral by Design: Carlo Ratti Associati x Mutti<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A temporary pavilion of 20,000 Mutti tomato cans transforms a pantry staple into participatory architecture.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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