Four questions for architect Luca Tormena, who designed Shanghai.

Function and design.

Interview to the designer who created Shanghai.

Personality. That is undoubtedly the first impression when looking at a designer radiator such as Shanghai: a prominent piece that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Where does all that personality stem from? We asked architect Luca Tormena, who designed Shanghai, four questions.

Rather than merely being a radiator, Shanghai is a designer object that is able to transform a room by its sheer presence. What setting did you imagine when you created it?

It was not created for one type of setting in particular, I believe it can express a different aspect in different settings.

Design should not have clear-cut limitations: I like the fact that function and style can mingle and cross-fertilise for something new to be born.

In the seeming chaos of the elements that make up Shanghai one notices order, an upward movement. What feeling should transpire from this shape?

I wanted to break free from the horizontal and vertical pattern with a shape that would set it apart from standard radiators. Shanghai proves that limitations are but habits that can be overcome.

What is the first thing you notice when you enter a home?

The materials and how light plays with them. Lighting, whether natural or artificial, is a crucial aspect that should always be taken into account when designing space.

Is there one word you identify with, when you think of your design style?

Function. It is the principle underlying any project, the starting point one cannot disregard when creating an object that is able to become a part of real life.