January 1, 2020

Nyx by Alberto Caiola Studio: 2019 Best of Year Winner for Bar/Lounge

Although named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, this futuristic rooftop bar takes its inspiration from Roman ruins. A native of Pordenone, Italy, Alberto Caiola Studio design director Alberto Caiola drew on his visits to the Columns of San Lorenzo in Milan as a student. Tourist attraction by day, the colonne are a relaxed hangout by night. “They’re accessible 24/7,” the designer recalls. “We could grab a beer under the stars in that spectacular historical space.” Such an open, comfortable spot is hard to find in densely populated Shanghai, where Caiola now lives, so it was a fitting conceit for a nightlife destination.

The 6,458-square-foot lounge reinterprets classical architecture in glowing blue light. Caiola wrapped 13 miles of UV-reactive PVC cord around modular painted-steel frames, forming pillars, benches, and an arched portico around the bar. “We created a story with a single material as the visual core,” he notes. The design also references the city’s illuminated highways and tangles of electric wires, while feeding the insatiable local appetite for novelty.

Photography by Dirk Weiblen.
Photography by Dirk Weiblen.
Photography by Dirk Weiblen.

Project Team: Tobia Zambotti.

> See more from the December/January 2020 issue of Interior Design

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