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"A towering figure of 20th-century Italian architecture, Franco Albini (1905\u201377) was almost as well known for his striking furniture designs. Since 2008 Cassina has been reissuing some of his award-winning chairs, tables, and shelving units and introducing Albini to a new generation. The latest offering, the Veliero open bookcase, was never developed beyond the prototype that Albini created for his Milan home in 1940. Still, it became a well-known design after appearing on the cover of influential journal Domus the following year. The defining feature of the Veliero\u2014whose name means sailing ship\u2014is its tensile structure inspired by sails.\n\nPinterestFacebook\n\nThe original survived in the architect's home until his teenage son played music so loud that it caused the glass shelves to explode. More than 50 years after that incident, Cassina has solved the Veliero's structural shortcomings. Composed of an ash-covered steel base, V-shaped ash pillars, stainless-steel and polished-brass supports, and safety glass, the innovative assembly measures nearly seven feet across and stands almost nine feet high. It's meant to be used as a room divider. \"I'm happy to see the reproduction,\" said Marco Albini, the culprit responsible for the demise of the original, at a New York reception unveiling the piece. \"It means that it has come back to life.\"\n\nThe Veliero bookcase is priced at $31,000. A limited-edition version with stained-black ash (50 pieces) is available for $41,000. cassina.com**\n\nPinterestFacebook"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/cassina-franco-albini-bookcase>