Looking to the future for more than 40 years

Centro Ceramico is further expanding its role in the Sassuolo ceramic cluster with the opening of a second site in Via Valle d’Aosta with new space for the research and testing activities that it has been conducting for more than 40 years. Originally founded in Bologna back in 1976, the centre opened a branch in Sassuolo in 2000 and became part of the Emilia-Romagna High Technology Network in 2011.

Centro Ceramico plays a vital role in supporting the ceramic industry’s sustainability, growth and competitiveness in an increasingly global market. It aims to further strengthen the already fruitful collaboration between ceramic producer companies, the local community and the academic world through applied research, testing, certification and consultancy services in the field of materials sustainability. These activities have become particularly important in the context of calls for tender under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The centre also provides specialist training and support with the development of sectoral, national and international standards.

Designed by architect Giulio Faggioli from Bologna-based practice Faggioli Architetti, the centre’s new site has larger spaces housed in a modern building with a distinctive and easily recognisable personality.

Occupying an irregularly shaped plot, the project consists of a three-storey building with a compact outer perimeter and a centrally-located staircase and lift shaft. The interior spaces extend over a total of 1,200 square metres divided up almost equally between laboratories and offices and designed for maximum functionality. The ground floor, which is also accessible for goods loading and unloading, is devoted entirely to laboratories equipped with advanced machinery and instruments used to perform technological, physical, mechanical and chemical testing of finished products and raw materials. On the first floor there are additional laboratories and storage areas, as well as separate areas for use by employees including a canteen and changing rooms with showers. The second floor is devoted entirely to offices and includes a large conference room opening onto a spacious terrace.

The building is supported by a prefabricated concrete load-bearing structure and is enclosed by a high-performance multilayer envelope consisting of vertical prefabricated panels with a ceramic tiled finish that signals both the function of the building and the presence of the local ceramic industry. The architectural choices were inspired by the products for which the area is renowned.

“The starting point for the project is the ceramic tile, a quintessentially two-dimensional element,”

says designer Giulio Faggioli.

“The point of arrival is a multifaceted 3D composition in porcelain stoneware, the material chosen to clad the entire building.”

These large porcelain slabs are anchored by means of metal profiles to the underlying panels, while the choice of different large sizes installed on three levels staggered by a depth of 10 cm creates a powerful sense of movement. Slabs from the Concrete line from Gigacer in the colour Ice were chosen for their ability to create dynamic stone-effect surfaces.

Ceramic tiles from Cotto d’Este (Blend Stone line in the colours Deep and Clear, and the ultra-thin Wonderwall surfaces, Jungle line) were chosen for the interiors to create functional, durable and aesthetically pleasing surfaces. They are used on the floors and a portion of the staircase walls, where they contrast effectively with the exposed reinforced concrete.