Endless Space by 57STUDIO for Casa FOA Chile

Chile-based architecture firm 57STUDIO has crafted an office environment as part of the “Casa FOA” architecture and interior design trade fair. A disused house facing the wrecking ball forms the receptacle for a shifting, endless space - there are no obstacles that creativity can't get around!


Benjamin Oportot and Maurizio Angelini from 57STUDIO participated in the first edition of Casa FOA Chile in Santiago. For over 30 years, the famous trade fair focused on architecture, interior design, art, design and landscaping in Argentina, then it crossed the Andes mountain range in 2016 to propose its traditional formula of being held in settings in need of recovery or revival, also in Santiago, Chile. 
For the occasion, organisers invited architects and designers to turn two French-style buildings into a design location, where visitors can enjoy all the latest innovations in this area and get some new ideas.
57STUDIO decided to move away from all the pomp and ceremony with a classic, functional project. “Escritorio infinito” - endless desk - is a room inside a room, a small studio that plays with our spatial perception. 
Assisted by the intelligent use of a total white palette, the ceilings and walls merge together, and the strategically placed mirrors and energy-saving lighting all combine for the installation in an area of less than 10 square metres, making you feel as if you were in an open space where a workstation has been carved out, marked in turn by the desk. 
This desk is made from local wood to a design by 57STUDIO and is the famous Lenga, also used for the facade of the Chilean pavilion at EXPO2015 and a symbol of Chilean craftsmanship. With its slim-line metal legs the emblem of their design idea (link articles): the apparent simplicity is the end result of a careful creative process that blends tradition with contemporary needs, a fusion also highly appreciated by the visitors to Casa FOA Chile.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: 57STUDIO – Benjamin Oportot and Maurizio Angelini http://www.57studio.com
for Casa FOA Cilena
Location: Santiago del Cile
Year: 2016
Images: Maurizio Angelini