Porcelain slabs used for outdoor showroom
Atlas Concorde uses the surrounding park and landscape to build an outdoor showroom that was inspired by winter gardens
Recently inaugurated, the new pavilion of the Atlas Concorde showroom completes the exhibition space of the Fiorano Modenese headquarters, which includes an external area dedicated to outdoor tiles and an indoor showroom.
The new structure, based on an architectural project by Guglielmo Renzi and Barbara Fontana, can be reached through a short path that starts from the showroom and crosses the outdoor area to reach the new building, surrounded by greenery and intended for the presentation of the latest collections. The design is inspired by winter gardens, ancient buildings created to host exotic plants during the winter months. “The project is part of a large park that was developed over recent years and was last redesigned by a talented landscaper in the late 80s,” said Renzi. “The plan incorporates the creation of a pavilion with a 300 square meter indoor space where the company can host both work meetings and showcase products, while immersed in a quiet atmosphere and surrounded by nature. Our goal was to build a space that worked well with exterior environment and created a dialogue between the location, the architecture’s shape and the materials used. We were inspired by architectural plans for winter garden’s spaces, which are usually used in large gardens for sustaining exotic plants during the winter. These pavilions were historically characterized with a strong architectural character. Their importance was also to fit into the environment in a balanced way.”
According to the architect, the tiles were used to design the geometric shapes and colors of the pathways in the surrounding landscape. “They were also used to design the retaining walls and the floors for both the inside and the outside in the same way,” said Renzi. “The tiles, in their variety of colors and shapes, became the center and most important part of the project.”
Within the outdoor pavilion are recreated interiors of residential environments that incorporate the Atlas Concorde range in a single context. In this setting, the new Atlas Plan brand shows all its potential, enriching the company’s range to decorate and furnish environments with an increasingly complete and coordinated design. The new porcelain slabs in a 162 x 324 cm size with a thickness of 12 mm in fact offer a wide range of applications: kitchen backsplashes and countertops, tables, wash basins and vanities.
Inside the pavilion, an area set up with a worktable and complete with a wide range of samples is available to architects and designers who can concretely verify the breadth of the Atlas Concorde product range. Outdoor surfaces in 20 mm of thickness have been chosen and used even internally to suggest a new and continuous design.
With the outdoor spaces on both sides of the building, the new exhibition area moves out into the surrounding external environment, underlining the potential of the Atlas Concorde collections, complete furnishing projects that allow the creation of outdoor and indoor environments in stylistic continuity. “When choosing the tiles for the pavilion, we focused on Atlas’ new products, which have a high level of aesthetic design and advanced slip-resistant qualities, which are fail proof in various conditions including rain, ice and snow,” said Renzi. “For the outdoor space, the tiles we used range from gray to light cream and include innovative products with a 2 cm thickness, particularly used throughout the green pathways that guide the visitors around the new pavilion. The surrounding walls use tile with a 1 cm thickness.”
Renzi and the architectural team were there throughout the entire construction phase. “As a team, we were very attentive to the construction phase because it is there that we can measure the true nature of the project and test all the details in progress,” said Renzi. “The unusual position of the pavilion, surrounded by the nature and its sensitive environment, forced us to monitor the situation regularly.”
The construction of the pavilion didn’t take long, as construction began in the spring and finished at the end of September.
According to Atlas Concorde, the new pavilion highlights the company’s willingness to turn to the world of architecture and design both at the level of products, combining design and high technical performance and at the level of exhibition spaces where the new collections can express themselves. cstd
Inside the pavilion, an area set up with a worktable and complete with a wide range of samples is available to architects and designers who can concretely verify the breadth of the Atlas Concorde product range.
“The plan incorporates the creation of a pavilion with a 300-square-meter indoor space where the company can host both work meetings and showcase products, while immersed in a quiet atmosphere and surrounded by nature,” said Renzi. (Above) “As a team, we were very attentive to the construction phase because it is there that we can measure the true nature of the project and test all the details in progress,” said Renzi. “The unusual position of the pavilion, surrounded by the nature and its sensitive environment, forced us to monitor the situation regularly.” (Below)
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