Designed by Jean Nouvel for Molteni&C in 2003, the Graduate bookcase is the representative for the changes, driven by the need for greater flexibility, which will overturn the way of furnishing the home in the following years, focusing strongly on the combination between design and technology, which allowed Molteni to create an iconic and original piece, still highly appreciated today.
The idea of a modular bookcase, therefore open to different solutions and flexible to meet the needs of the customer, must confront Nouvel's desire to create a structure characterized by a minimalist style, which communicates lightness.
The result thus leads to a suspended bookcase, with the upper shelf designed to be the real support of the entire structure, clearly showing how Jean Nouvel takes inspiration from his great experience as an architect, also in this case on a smaller scale.
GRADUATED WITH ADAPTABLE MODERN DESIGN
For Jean Nouvel, an apparently minimalist design is not necessarily less creative. This perspective applies perfectly to the Graduate project conceived for Molteni, which in some ways could be defined as elementary solely for the way in which it mainly responds to a main need: that of flexibility.
In fact, Nouvel tries to satisfy this need in an extremely simple way but, at the same time, much more complex than it appears.
Inspired by his career as an architect and by larger works such as bridges, the designer started from the creation of a solid and thick upper shelf, which is fixed to the ceiling or wall to become the beating heart of the structure, thanks to a innovative system of tie rods that is born right there and holds the entire bookcase, giving it an adaptable design as desired.
The extremely thin steel tie rods are equipped with notches to which the shelves can be fixed according to needs and create an interesting alternation between solids and voids, making the shelf itself appear as if it were floating suspended in the air.
MATERIALS AND MAIN FEATURES
In addition to being characterized by a unique design, which also earned Jean Nouvel the ADI Index 2004 and the Red Dot Design Award 2005, the Graduate bookcase by Molteni is extremely innovative and technologically advanced in various elements.
In fact, they range from the advanced system of tie rods, capable of consistently distributing the weight of the objects placed on the bookcase, up to the heart of the shelves themselves made of plywood, with an external coating composed of natural or black anodized aluminum.
The upper shelf is characterized by a greater thickness as a load-bearing element of the structure, which can be fixed to the wall or ceiling.
The weight distribution is possible thanks to the tie rods means that each shelf can support up to 25kg, but the center of the structure remains totally customizable: it is in fact possible to combine shelves of one, two or three meters, also playing with the lengths of the tie rods are between 77 cm and 230 cm.
To discover Graduate we are waiting for you in our showroom in Corso Europa 2, Milan, let us guide you towards the most suitable composition for your environment and your ideas.
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