Galleria by ADL, design Alessandro Munge“God is in the details,” wrote Flaubert, a sentiment later echoed by Mies van der Rohe. And it is often in a structural detail that true innovation lies. This is also the case with Galleria, the new sliding system designed for ADL by Italian-Canadian designer Alessandro Munge. What distinguishes the system is its aesthetic character: a subtle yet perceptible shift in the geometry of its profiles that completely transforms how the product is perceived and, with it, the surrounding space.
Drawing inspiration from the vaulted arcades of Italy’s great cities, such as Milan and Naples, the designer has replaced conventional square-section profiles with new vertical uprights featuring a sophisticated convex shape. The result is a striking visual emphasis on the vertical structural elements rather than the horizontal ones. The perception of the perimeter frame, typically associated with conventional aluminium-and-glass sliding doors, is softened, allowing the system’s architectural expression to come to the fore.
In Galleria, the aluminium uprights are exceptionally slender yet deep (11 mm wide and 46 mm deep) and play with contrasting geometries. On one side of the sliding panel, they appear as blade-like elements with a gently curved profile; on the other, the upright has a squared-off section that sits almost flush with the glazed panel. Equally refined is the positioning of the glass, which is shifted entirely towards the inner side of the profile rather than being centrally mounted. This detail further accentuates the perceived depth of the vertical uprights. The system’s distinctive aesthetic is also reflected in its specially designed full-height handle, whose convex profile echoes the geometry of the structure, creating a harmonious and coherent architectural language.
