During Milan Design Week 2025, the Rossana Orlandi gallery hosted “ANESIS, Nature, Well-being, CorkPhilia”, a work designed by Giuliana Salmaso for Diasen. It offered visitors, professionals and journalists from the design world an immersive, multisensory experience celebrating Corkphilia, the system of innovative materials devised by Diasen which, thanks to exposed cork, creates a direct, sensory bond between people and nature.
“ANESIS” is a monolithic, biomorphic architecture clad in exposed Diathonite, which evokes the tones of sand and the Mediterranean inspiration of local materials through a soft texture that amplifies the harmony of the project.
Conceived as an experiential journey from chaos to calm, the installation prompts a path of inner transformation that reaches its emotional climax in a vaulted room made special by a central oculus, recalling the formal and symbolic lines of the Pantheon. The gaze, drawn upwards to the sky, creates a visual bridge between human beings and the universe.
This experience also evokes primordial aspects, recalling the initiatory caves of the Palaeolithic and suggesting a symbolic journey of introspection and rebirth. Guided by the light, visitors arrive in an open-air space where the material tones of Diasen’s bio-mortars invite pause and meditation.
The architecture of “ANESIS” is founded on the scientific principles of biophilic design, which show that it is possible to create environments able to reduce stress, restore attentional resources and improve psychophysical well-being.
“I wanted the installation to have an ancient name. I chose ANESIS, which in Greek means pause, but also relaxation, the easing of tension. More than an installation, ANESIS is a state of mind of enchantment and tranquillity. A union of sinuous lines, textured finishes and light. A welcoming womb, an empty space in which to immerse yourself and emerge regenerated.” says Giuliana Salmaso.
For Diego Mingarelli, CEO of Diasen: “ANESIS represents our idea of a biophilic architecture based on cork, on regeneration and on the primacy of rounded forms that evoke the free flow of thought and the symbolism of all that is linked to the senses. CorkPhilia brings the sensory emotion of contact with nature directly into the world of materials and building, and becomes a tool for improving the quality of everyday life.”
The installation bears witness to Diasen’s commitment to the world of design and to its continuous search for solutions that enhance the fruitful relationship between aesthetics, functionality and sustainability. A new paradigm for the architecture of the future, in which the harmony between human beings and nature becomes the heart of design and the horizon for new experiments with forms and materials.
