Architecture, a passion for life: Stefano Belingardi and his talent

Passion and Dedication: Stefano Belingardi, world-famous architect, tells us about himself.

Considered one of the brightest minds in the panorama of young Italian architecture , Stefano Belingardi, despite his young age, has many active projects. Architecture is his life passion, which has led him to create buildings starting from Italy to Berlin and Barcelona. The structure, the skeleton of the building is the soul of each of his projects, which he manages to make dynamic thanks to a vision of spaces that is vibrant and rational at the same time. The technological and structural aspect is in fact the distinctive sign of the productions of BE.ST, the international architecture studio he founded, not yet thirty years old.

What is your education and background?
I studied at Mario Botta's faculty in Medrisio, in Erasmus in Scotland, at the Mackintish School of Art and returned to Mendrisio I graduated cum laude with the best project of the year. After finishing my studies I had a work experience in Shanghai in the EMBT MIRALLES TAGLIABUE studio, then Daniel Libeskind and Cino Zucchi.

Who do you consider a master, a reference architect?
Peter Zumthor for his power and sensitivity at the same time and Carlo Scarpa.

How did your adventure as a freelancer begin?
At the beginning I lived in Berlin for 6 months to finish a project and then return to Milan. I won the tender for the Telecom Headquarters in Milan , but unfortunately for known reasons the entire project was reduced to a simple internal renovation. I work a lot abroad especially in Portugal and Germany. I realize many projects for private clients, from houses to villas. I have also realized several retail projects for different fashion brands. I also design furniture and design products, some of which have been exhibited at the Salone del Mobile.

"Today I am making bigger architectural projects which is my real goal."
Stefano Belingardi

You founded your own studio BE.ST: how did it come about and how did you structure your team?
There are seven of us. Some of the collaborators came from Mendrisio, from my own university, others started with an internship and then stayed with me. The project for the Telecom headquarters and the design pieces that I exhibited at the fair.

Which of your projects are you most attached to?
It is called FRAME and will be an office headquarters in via Bisceglie in Milan. The building of about 6000 meters has a horizontal entrance plate in dark bronze that acts as a podium for a light metal cube invaded by conical elements that frame the city. Inserted between the cube and the plate there is a suspended garden, a horizontal green facade for the city that connects and makes the two elements dynamic.

How do you conceive a project? Where do you start?
I start by understanding what the place asks for.

"Architecture is thinking of an atmosphere, a space that will be experienced by people and that will have to be functional."
Stefano Belingardi

I absolutely do not deny the importance of a harmonious and impactful form such as the notes of a musical text, but the form must come last and must be the consequence of a thought , the result of a creative design process.

Do you make any particular use of materials?
I use a few materials that declare the architectural concept and that make its smell and vibration felt over time.

Even though your studio is quite young, you have created many projects, how did you manage to do it?
Passion, sacrifices and sacrifices.

What advice would you give to a young person starting your job?
I would advise him to travel and absorb as many atmospheres as possible and then try to relive them while drawing.

What will the architecture of the future be like?
It will be increasingly technological and intelligent but fortunately it will never be possible to replace nature and intuition.

The project you still have to imagine?
I won it a few weeks ago and it is everything I have been waiting for.

"The Talent of Mr." is a project by Paolo Pecora Milano that investigates, through a series of interviews, Italian talent at 360°.

We have selected different stories that represent the excellence of Italian craftsmanship: from communication to creativity, to architecture, to cinema and the world of food. To tell a lifestyle that is unique in the world. The project in collaboration with the curator and journalist Alessio de'Navasques, was born with the idea of ​​focusing on that ineffable element of Italian talent, difficult to define and describe, an expression of a DNA and a cultural background that is lost in time.