Audi E_Station
Kinetic Charging Station Installation
Asymptote's installation for Audi at Milan's iconic Arco della Pace was a bold architectural prototype presented during the Milan Design Fair, exploring the intersection of design, technology, and sustainability.
Presented during Milan Design Week 2019 as part of the Audi City Lab and Interni magazine’s Human Spaces exhibition, the E_Station was sited in the Piazza Sempione at the foot of the Arco della Pace — one of Milan’s most prominent civic settings. Four large interconnected steel rings, echoing both the Audi emblem and the symmetries of the neoclassical arch behind them, transformed the monument’s forecourt into a proving ground for speculative architecture driven by renewable energy and experimental materials. The installation drew over 40,000 visitors during the week, including 5,000 who attended a performance by Ludovico Einaudi on opening night.
Kinetic Architecture
The installation took the form of a pavilion composed of modular tubular structures assembled like kinetic “bricks” — dynamic elements that could mechanically open and close, reconfiguring the structure in real time. Located in a prominent public square, the pavilion functioned both as a striking sculptural intervention and as a working energy station.
Zero-Carbon Prototype
The E_Station was conceived as a prototype for a zero-carbon architectural future. The system harnessed solar energy through a series of tubes, some embedded with algae, to generate power. The energy produced was designed to fuel both the building and Audi’s electric E-Tron vehicles — pointing to an integrated ecological vision of architecture and mobility. Inside, the Audi PB18 e-Tron concept supercar was displayed within the ring structure, framing a new typology of urban space where electric vehicles could be recharged within a social and public gathering environment.
A New Paradigm
Beyond its functional ambitions, the project stood as a powerful public statement about the role of architecture in reducing carbon impact. Asymptote’s design signaled a new aesthetic and technological paradigm for sustainable architecture — one that merges kinetic systems, material innovation, and energy performance into a single, elegant architectural expression. The steel structure was fabricated and assembled by metron eging GmbH, with Bathke Geisel Architekten serving as execution architects.
