Extra ordinary contract at its best

The term Contract is used to indicate projects which comprise the supply of products that are not part of a company’s standard catalogue, works defined by a specific contract, which go beyond the mere sale of standard products, that open the path to experimentation or “customized construction”. These contracts usually imply the active participation of the manufacturer, a transfer of know-how, specific skills in technique and realization which perforce involve the project and the designer, featuring an equally particular and indispensable operational flexibility. Consequently, the architect or designer may, operating beyond consolidated schemes, meet the different requirements of the customer with the aid of industrial realities which have not lost the craftsmanship abilities which allow many manufacturers of building elements to interpret with creativity, also from a technological viewpoint, quite complex themes and projects. Furthermore, the customer – and the architect – may, through a general contractor, entrust a single operator with the management and engineering of the different parts of the project, in exchange for both an evident harmonizing of the aggregate and an overall guarantee of the assembly and installation of the different elements, both in terms of quality and of time. With the contribution of companies specialized in contract supplies, they may also obtain a certification of a part of the project which, having been ideated specifically for that contract, is not backed by the ordinary guarantee accompanying the standard products which are already part of the company’s catalogue. There are many, and important, examples of products designed for specific needs which have then turned into standard products, which have sometimes enjoyed considerable commercial success, or realizations which have not gone beyond the experimental stage, but which have nevertheless provided inspiration and indications that have influenced the history of and debated on architecture, interior decoration or industrial design of products for the home. Contract is consequently a synonym of quality and manufacturing capacity, a direct expression of particular references and realizations. With this issue 103+, realized for the Salone del Mobile 2009, Area intends to investigate this area and present a selection of the best cases; in short, to tell the story, with the aid of the main players, of the points of excellence of this specific sector.