Located on Pinacoteca Agnelli’s fourth storey directly facing La Pista 500, the new sky garden created on the Lingotto’s test track, the Casa 500 design respects the authentic internal space defined by Giacomo Matté-Trucco’s original design and by the later intervention of Renzo Piano, leaving the central space as free as possible. The exhibition, set up mainly on the side walls, and the four large windows, provide an open exhibition space, immersed in light and visually linked to the Lingotto test track on all four sides. The dialogue between exterior and interior is supported by the plants, which from their terrace meander into an internal wall of the exhibition space. At Casa 500, everyone can define their own personal itinerary, their own relationship with the Fiat 500: the space is designed to be inhabited freely by anyone.

Casa 500 is a place where respect for the environment is the mantra behind the development of all the spaces and materials chosen for its exhibits, following the principle summed up by the concept “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle”: raw materials like wood and metal are reused; all the vertical surfaces are composed of panels or antibacterial paints that, through passive processes, absorb and reduce harmful and bacterial substances; the fabrics used for seating are made using threads obtained from recycling plastic recovered from the oceans; and all the Plexiglas elements are recycled and recyclable ad infinitum.

The exhibition itinerary is subdivided into 8 thematic areas. Legacy, a snug and immersive space that, through photos and videos, recounts to the visitor the places, people and stories behind the world of the Fiat 500. The Made of Italy area recounts the objects that over the course of history have gained prominence thanks to their Italian design, and how Italian design has always, with its beautiful and useful products, been able to respond to the needs and culture of its time. The poster collection is a collection of posters and advertising images of the first 500 from the 1960s, a complementary zone to the Digital Counter where two interactive multimedia screens show, through films, how the story of the Fiat 500 was told through history. Following this is 3 generations, the section for comparing designs: some time capsules and a large work table show the evolution of every single part of the 500 from the design standpoint. The Social relevance area is the section that encapsulates our company’s exciting story told through images of the Fiat 500. And lastly, there is the Foreseeing the future section:an area that retraces the history of yesterday, today, and tomorrow against the background of the Lingotto which, on its long journey, has shown a great ability to change its skin, even radically. The itinerary concludes with a space dedicated to temporary exhibitions.

Each brand has its own flavor: the fresh and pop image of the FIAT brand is combined with the large self-service room of the refuge. Two exclusive areas have been respectively branded with the premium brands ALFA ROMEO and JEEP®. The project involved interventions on various scales: the creation of specific set-ups specifically made on portions of walls, the design of customized lamps, the introduction of specially designed graphic elements on glass and opaque surfaces. The project went into detail up to the definition of the table setting.

The large self-service hall crowded with hundreds of skiers throughout the day and from the early hours of the morning was chosen as the ideal setting for the FIAT brand. The history and the image of the brand and in particular of the iconic Fiat 500’s world have seen the use of graphic elements with a POP flavor with wire drawings or images that recall the historical iconography of mountain and alpine sports. Graphic language was also used in the design of the trays and other details.

A warmer atmosphere has been set up in the new JEEP® VIP Lounge. Wood, with elegant and worked finishes, has been the “trait d’union” as it is akin to both the perception of the alpine refuge and the vocation of the Jeep® brand.

The restaurant reserved ALFA ROMEO area includes elegantly sporty Alfa-style lighting fixtures with a hi-tech flavor. At night when the refuge is often the venue for private events or dinners for special occasions, the room is tinged with warm red tones that enhance the wooden walls of the room.