Water's Potent Power Showcased at Milan Design Week: 'A Beat of Water'
During Milan Design Week 2025, the "A Beat of Water" installation, a collaborative effort between BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and Roca, will grace Milan's Università Statale. This captivating exhibit aims to shed light on the vital role of water in contemporary design and urban life [1][2][3].
At the heart of the installation lies Roca Connect, a cloud-based smart water management system that embodies the fusion of design and innovation [1]. The exhibit is designed to resonate with BIG's approach towards enjoyable and sustainable city, building, and product design [4].
The water used in the design travels in a closed-loop system, ensuring no wastage, and the installation itself is a flowing, 14m-long and 3.5-high structure made of 300m of galvanised steel pipes [5]. This architectural marvel plays with all the senses, featuring the continuous circulation of water, inviting visitors to sit and be embraced by the element's dynamic movement, vibration, steady rhythm, and soft, calming sounds [6].
Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG, explains that the exhibit is about the hidden beauty of the everyday, making something unexpected, a pavilion out of plumbing [7]. The exhibit's design philosophy includes the integration of contemporary flair, state-of-the-art technology, and sustainable architecture [8].
In the context of the exhibit, Ingels highlights the significance of early adoption of new technology and the importance of social infrastructure. He discusses the project's alignment with BIG's concept of hedonistic sustainability: sustainable solutions can also be enjoyable [9]. Ingels also emphasizes the importance of design and innovation meeting to create a harmonious blend of aesthetics and sustainability [10].
The exhibit's goal is to demonstrate how design and innovation can meet, merging contemporary flair, state-of-the-art technology, and sustainable architecture [11]. By doing so, it aims to provoke reflection on water conservation and future resource management [2][3]. The installation also serves as an art piece, making the ordinary extraordinary, as seen in the transformation of plumbing into a pavilion [12].
In conclusion, "A Beat of Water" is more than just an exhibit; it is a platform that encourages thoughtful engagement with water as an essential and often undervalued element in sustainable design and urban living. It contributes to the broader thematic narrative of Milan Design Week 2025 around resource conservation and environmental awareness [2].
- The installation, titled "A Beat of Water," demonstrates the intersection of environmental science, sustainable living, and technology, with Roca Connect, a smart water management system, embodying this synergy within the exhibit.
- The exhibit, combining contemporary flair, state-of-the-art technology, and sustainable architecture, proudly showcases the space's transformation from the ordinary, like plumbing, into an extraordinary art piece, reflecting the principles of sustainable living in home-and-garden design.
- As part of the Milan Design Week 2025, Bjarke Ingels Group and Roca's collaborative effort, "A Beat of Water," serves not only as an artistic expression but also as a call to action, encouraging the wider public to consider the importance of sustainable city and product design and its role in safeguarding our environment and promoting a harmonious lifestyle.
