Opened in 2024, Ciesse Piumini’s new 350-square-metre flagship store has rapidly become a go-to destination for shoppers seeking technical sportswear that combines style, performance and cutting-edge materials. These same qualities define the space designed by Studio Salvati Architetti Associati, where the characteristics of the mountain environment are evoked through the use of functional, durable and sustainable materials and solutions.
Ciesse asked the architects to develop a bold, evocative concept that would convey the essence of the brand’s heritage while offering an immersive journey into a world of nature and adventure. This link with sports and high-altitude hiking shaped the project’s visual identity, created by architects Claudia Gobbi and Massimo Pedrazzini.
To reinforce this identity, the architects introduced formal and volumetric references to natural elements such as trees, mountains and stone. “The challenge was to create a pathway through a large and multifaceted space. The idea behind the project was to capture the attention of passers-by by using full-height windows to blur the boundary between indoors and out,” explain the architects. Inside, visitors are led through a space featuring a sequence of highlights such as “a mirrored volume, a cascade of light, a mountain and its fragments”, a kind of journey in which light, floating mannequins and dynamic geometric forms create the sensation of being suspended in space and time.
The journey continues down to the basement level, which has a lower ceiling and a luminous floor path “punctuated by large illuminated niches, like windows in a cave”. This leads to the Experience Room, an area offering an interactive experience based on 3D video and immersive sound. Great attention was devoted to the choice of materials and technologies. “We designed the lighting system to optimise the number of fixtures and minimise energy waste and we recovered and upgraded the heating and cooling systems,” explains Claudia Gobbi. “The ceramic tiles, all of which were supplied by Cotto d’Este, meet the latest production and performance standards.”
The highlight of the project is the limestone-inspired Pura collection, which recreates the appearance of natural stone paths and was used for all the interior flooring in a 60×120 cm size and Grey and Pearl colours with a thickness of 14 mm. The sculptural elements recalling mountain peaks and rock fragments were created using Kerlite 6plus extra-large panels (120×278 cm, 6.5 mm thickness), a fibreglass-reinforced material that combines low weight with exceptional strength. Cotto d’Este’s ultra-thin large-format panels not only deliver high performance and durability but are also highly flexible, making them ideal for use on surfaces, furnishings and sculptural elements.
