Promotion: architecture practice Iosa Ghini Associati has renovated the 1980s headquarters of Italian surfacing manufacturer Fiandre in Castellarano, using ceramic to cover almost the entire interior from the walls and floors to the custom furnishings.
Set across three floors and 2,400 square metres, the office was originally designed by architect Quintilio Prodi in 1989 and is described by Fiandre as “vaguely post-modern”.
Iosa Ghini Associati has revamped and reorganised the interiors by designer Carlo Cattani to prioritise the wellbeing of employees and encourage their return to the office post-pandemic.
With this aim, the architectural studio, with offices in Milan and Bologna, introduced novelties including a hangout area in the basement complete with a football table, a “take one, leave one” bookshelf and rocking chairs overlooking the garden.
Office space and meeting rooms are spread across all three floors of the building, separated by glass partitions that allow daylight to filter into the core of the building while still providing acoustic privacy.
Different areas are also distinguished by their use of different Fiandre ceramics, which architect Massimo Iosa Ghini used across almost all available surfaces.
“Ceramic surfaces were applied like a changing, decorative skin to floors and walls, at times adorned with precious triangular and herringbone cuts to embellish the spaces without ever overdoing it,” Fiandre said.
Fiandre’s ceramic surfacing was used to cover floors across all three storeys, as well as various walls, washbasins and custom desks, meeting tables, bar counters and coffee tables designed bespoke for the office.
To improve indoor air quality and hygiene, Fiandre chose Active Surfaces – ceramic slabs developed by Fiandre’s parent organisation Iris Ceramica Group. The photocatalytic properties of these “eco-active ceramic surfaces use light energy to trigger chemical reactions that eliminate bacteria, viruses and pollutants, converting them into harmless substances”, the company said.
In total, the building uses 5,058 square metres of ceramic slabs, which together with the LED lights help to purify over 10,000 cubic metres of air from odours and volatile organic compounds per day, according to calculations from researchers at the University of Milan.
In the lobby, the floor is finished in a herringbone pattern formed from alternating matte and glossy slabs of the marbled Premium White Maximum porcelain.
The reception desk is flanked by two waiting areas, underscored in Pietra Grey Maxium and enveloped by two curving walls clad in fluted ceramic slabs made using the 4D Ceramics technology pioneered by Fiandre’s parent company Iris Ceramica Group and distributed by Sapiestone brand.
Pietra Grey also features in the basement, combined with terrazzo-like Seminato Beige.
The executive offices on the first floor feature walls adorned in striking blue Amazonite Maximum, while the 70-square-metre CEO office is equipped with a mini-bar and a private bathroom that features Fiandre’s highly polished Glint finish, which reflects light around the room.
The first floor also features a huge 18-by-3-metre mural by digital artist Becha, printed on ceramic slabs using the company’s Design Your Slabs (DYS) technology and reused from Iris Ceramica Group’s exhibition space at international ceramics fair Cersaie in Bologna in 2023.
Meeting rooms scattered around the rest of the building can accommodate between eight and 20 people and feature tables with ridged and fluted bases made using the 4D Ceramic technology.
The lighting and polarised windows in the meeting rooms can be controlled with touch ceramic surfaces integrated directly into the stone surface, eliminating the need for unsightly external cover plates and switches.
And walls are decorated in Marsala Red with a tessellated pattern cut into the surface to provide subtle decoration.
“The colour of the furnishings and finishes adds personality, making the spaces feel more creative and more like home, while adding a sense of timeless elegance,” the architect specifies,” Iosa Ghini said.
Fiandre is part of Iris Ceramica Group. For more information on Fiandre, visit the company’s website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Fiandre as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
