THE PLAN explores the materials of architecture | by Ilaria Mazzanti

Recreating the informal, relaxed atmosphere of traditional coffeehouses, the Press Cafés at Cersaie host wide-ranging conversations between famous architects and designers and the editors of leading architecture magazines on themes relating to ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings.

In particular, THE PLAN Café at Cersaie 2018 welcomed architects Benedetto Camerana (Camerana & Partners) and Giovanni Multari (Corvino + Multari), who discussed the theme of “The materials of architecture” with the magazine’s editor Nicola Leonardi. Their conversation focused on the role and importance of materials in architectural projects, with particular reference to ceramic tile. After debating the precise point at which materials come into play in a project, the guests went on to explore a wide range of topics in a discussion that offered plenty of food for thought. By analysing two projects from their portfolios (the Parish Complex in Dresano designed by Corvino + Multari and the Alfa Romeo Museum designed by Camerana & Partners), the architects presented their individual visions of the role played by materials in the design process, a role that is particularly important in the case of renovation projects given the need to successfully match the existing and new materials in terms of their aesthetics and their mechanical and chemical characteristics. The participants also discussed the new prospects offered by contemporary technologies, which allow for increasingly customised solutions tailored to specific needs.

Ceramic tiles have seen enormous progress in this respect, particularly in the last ten years. Whether used as ceramic surfaces in their own right or designed to imitate other materials, they are now exceptionally versatile and have the potential to define a project. So is this imitation or creation? Perhaps more than anything else it is “imagination”.

Watch the video of the conference held at Cersaie 2018.

December 2018