Wall of water
InterContinental Ambasciatori Palace, Rome

A 1900 building that bears the signature of the authoritative Italian architect Carlo Busiri, where the elements inspired by the neo-Renaissance style and the interiors, never banal and never to decorate, are representative of that fin de siècle elegance and the concept of "discreet luxury ”. Strategically located in the heart of Rome, in via Vittorio Emanuele, this building is constantly transforming: now home to InterContinental Ambasciatori Palace, excellence in five-star Roman hospitality, which in 2023 saw an important restyling project designed and curated by the designer Anton Cristell, specialized in the creation of projects for the commercial and restaurant sectors. Scarpetta NYC is the name chosen for one of the restaurants that this majestic hotel offers, a symbol of a new and modern way of experiencing conviviality, in whose patio a water wall in banded marble was created, which offers the spaces a distinctive and elegant aura. The undisputed protagonist of the exteriors, this fountain, 4 meters high and 2.28 meters wide, has a sliding surface in cloudy Bardiglio marble, characteristic of its dark gray color enriched by light gray and whitish veins. It is a marble that is particularly resistant to heat, cold, and atmospheric agents, which has been shaped orthogonally in its visible part for a thickness varying from 0 mm to 20 mm. The water overflows from a height of four meters and its speed is modulated to entirely cover the marble surface and ripple over its workmanship until it reaches the underground collection basin flush with the floor, which is covered with an anti-slip perforated grid. Custom-made sketches in AISI 316L stainless steel. The water is recirculated by a second low voltage submersible pump Varionaut by Oase and is always guaranteed clean thanks to a panel with double pH/Redox dosing pump for automatic acidification and chlorination of the water with control probe and automatic replenishment in line. To illuminate the entire wall of water, from the base to the apex, a White 2700K IP68 LED bar with 10° optics mounted on a stainless steel profile and black resin coating was chosen, with the possibility of dimming the brightness of the strip continuously and homogeneously to match the restaurant lighting. In the electrical panel, there is a control panel for automatic management of the fountain and remote control via the Forme d'Acqua app, My Fountain.

The fountain is located at the InterContinental Ambasciatori Palace in Rome, in the outdoor space of the Scarpetta NYC Restaurant. The Bardiglio slab, approximately 4 meters high, acts as a backdrop to the garden that flanks the room and becomes the focal point of reception for the independent entrance on Via Veneto. The slab has a workmanship that recalls a fabric and makes the stone visually soft, thus also slowing down the flow of water and creating a relaxing impact, both aural and visual. Anton Cristell, designer

  Photo credits: Gian Domenico Troiano