There are unexpected encounters, ones which come about purely by chance, suddenly, one morning. There are, that’s true. But this is not how the collaboration between Alias and Ivo Pellegri began. There was a great deal of rationality and functionality from the outset, even in the way that the creative spark between the Lombard architect and Dario Vaccari struck.
The two met at the Alias stand during a trade fair where they were both looking for the best partners and their interest immediately focused on a very precise element. A hinge. They were certainly not there by chance but, of the many operators and security door manufacturers and the many architects and designers, it was only Ivo Pellegri who dwelt on this detail, this hinge.
The idea of creating a new hinge capable of supporting a flush-to-wall security door – a truly functional design element – had been on Ivo Pellegri’s mind for some time, but until he met Dario Vaccari, it had not found fertile ground.
The architect, who had always been a door designer, had imagined a solution capable of performing the same function as that already implemented by Alias, but only by integrating their respective experience, vision and skill would they shortly find a way to engineer an integrated hinge to support their innovative security doors. A door system – a form of “wing”- that could be concealed from view by perfectly adhering “to the cover” once it was closed, literally disappearing into the walls and surrounding surfaces.
That first meeting and discussion would bring the WALL security door and the renowned WING collection to life.
Their fruitful collaboration continued over the years until the present, garnering several plaudits along the way, including the 2016’s nomination for the prestigious ADI Design Index. The flush-to-wall WALL door received immediate esteem from the moment it commercially debuted. This consensus gradually increased, especially when it is integrated in the wainscotting, its optimal configuration, where the handle is the only clue to the presence of a security door.
The WING line is the perfect expression of Alias’ identity. Ivo Pellegri pursues practicality and functionality through elegant and minimal choices.
One example of his rationality and creativity, of what it means to transform a difficulty into an advantage, is well represented by his inseparable “half pencils”, appropriately short (with two tips) a suitable pocket solution he devised so that he is always ready to give life to challenging new projects.
With the WING collection, functionality and the search for beauty pass through a deliberately simple aesthetic concept, the visual trappings leave room for great rationality and freedom of interpretation that benefit operators in the sector, customers and architects who can at last provide continuity between internal and external walls. Giving continuity to the surfaces on which doors and front doors were installed did not fit into the minds of the architects of those times because there were no adequate and satisfactory technical solutions. The idea for WALL came about at a time when the much abused “Less is more” mantra had not yet become a part of the daily lexicon, at least not in the security door industry. Even then, we had to look to the future to get ahead of the curve.
Today, the WING collection is increasingly still a distillation of vision and future, a mix of security, soundproofing and thermal insulation, achieving class 4, capable of providing up to an hour of fire resistance. The Alias catalogue features countless stylistic variations, but Ivo Pellegri’s favourite finishes are: wood or coloured panels. The scenic effect of the veining of the wood – which continue and connect to the surrounding walls of the wainscotting – is the result of the mastery of the experienced workers in Alias’s production department who are similar in their ability and attention to detail to experienced craftsmen, although operating in a more industrialised sector.
The elegance of the stylistic and design solutions in an Alias door goes far beyond what you can see. Excellence is often hidden in the details, even those that are invisible. It is no coincidence that Pellegri argues that a security door should be observed laterally, from the side. And WALL’s profile does not betray expectations until arriving at the “WING Twenty” edition, a collection designed with a striking, light imprint, an original colour effect obtained using integrated LED technology; a blade of light that runs around the edges of the door celebrating Alias’s 20th anniversary in 2022.
Over the coming months, we will meet other key figures, sales, technicians and designers who have helped make Alias a leader in the “Made in Italy” security door sector.
Follow us, it will be a great pleasure to share the story of our first 20 years!