FLYmessenger

Every airport has its own personality.
As for people, airport character often depends on who or what surrounds it, the energy it emanates or accumulates thanks to users of its facilities.

During my frequent visits to Apulia, two things struck me most: the silent, imposing and friendly nature, and the serious, effective and ambitious work.
In the airport communication project, I enjoyed shaping an iconic object that highlights the personality of the context where it is located, thereby giving a brand the chance to become the protagonist of this story.
—Paolo Casti

It is not a static support: FLYmessenger was conceived as a new medium … a flying ship.
The design started off from an elementary structure: a taut sail on a boom and a mast.
Its dynamics are dictated by the direction of the wind, which moves the flexible structure not by harnessing its power but by following its nature.

The sketch has a horizontal beam parallel to a pool of water.
I made it larger than a boom and smaller than a hull, taking special care over the line for maximum height that I set at two meters.
I linked it on the right at 90° with a mast that I then moved delicately backwards.
Just enough to reduce, at the top, the size of the sail rising 25 meters high over the water that runs perfectly vertical from the opposite side from the tail of the boom to the end of the fin.
—Paolo Casti

The objective was to create a vertical surface as close as possible to a rectangle.
The only style variant allowed was the vertical cut of the sail that influences the personality of the silhouette as much as possible, without interfering with the format of the communication space.

The laws of optics help because in the close-up vision of such a high object, the parts at the top seem to be smaller so that, as we move closer, it is more than natural to perceive the tapering of the sail in a more apparent way.

The boom is straight and rigid, with two fins protruding from the fuselage, directed downwards towards the sides as well as turning slightly backwards. They are the only points of contact with the ground.
They barely touch the surface of the water, creating the illusion of flight for an object that – in truth – has to be extremely stable and safe.

The mast is curved and tapers elegantly upwards. It is flexible. From the bottom to the top, its shape progressively and gradually tapers to accommodate natural flexibility.
The wind, blowing against the sail, moves the mast.

A lively, active structure animated at the base by two jets of water simulating the trail left by a probable landing, as well as illumination modulated by the strength of the wind and its temperature. The intersection of shades and colors suggests temperature and wind power across a range from delicate blues to darker reds.

The result is an “Existable Object”.
Something designed to fly, a bearer of messages. Something that has a dash of the future and a dash of the past. Something that moves naturally – not by contrasting nature, but using its energy.
Just like the earth it is intended for.

Year
Category