From the Ronchamp Chapel by Le Corbusier to the Seagram Building by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, and to the more recent Shard by Renzo Piano and the Hamburg Concert hall by Herzog & de Meuron, the history of architecture offers a wealth of examples in which a holistic outlook and the right combination of materials are the ingredients for a successful design that has a positive impact on its inhabitants.

Choosing the materials for a space also means measuring elements and proportions, as well as considering the dialogue with the setting from both a philological viewpoint, embracing the identity of the setting, and from a sensory viewpoint, considering the interaction between light, sound and smell. The impact of finishings in the overall perception of a space is a determining factor for the comfort, style and culture that a project expresses. 

“The varying textures, colours and very essence of the materials, with their backgrounds and specific characteristics, communicate, generating a sense of belonging or detachment, encouraging contact or creating distance”, confirms Simona Marzoli, an interior architect and professor at the IED Milan, whose courses include the master’s degree in Design Innovation, Strategy & Product,in which this subject is a significant point of focus.

“Over the last ten years, my attention has shifted to focus on awareness in the application and the quality of materials, and on experimenting with finishes that guarantee reduced environmental impact. Products that are the result of ethical, intelligent and non-energy-intensive processes. Beyond the finishes themselves, I focus my attention on the companies that produce them, the attention they have for the territory, and the origin of the raw materials. I am interested in the process that precedes the end product, and believe in concentrating above all on quality, seeing this term as also embracing the involvement of workers, their awareness, their skill and their well-being”, continues Marzoli. 

 She then goes into further detail, explaining how her visit to the production plant of Pietra Compattata in Sassuolo (Modena) allowed her to understand the characteristics of the company’s materials, which she considered to be highly intelligent. “The finished tile requires no oven drying, and the environmental impact of the production process is insignificant in comparison to other finishes. It is composed of waste aggregates sourced within a highly limited radius”, she explains from her Leonardo desk (by Achille Castiglioni) in Piacenza, which is piled high with materials both old and new, experimental items from other creative sectors. 

It is increasingly common for designers to draw on their own personal library of materials, testing performance under specific conditions. This is the case, for example, with the firm Guardini Ciuffreda, a multi-disciplinary Milan-based workshop whose activities range from interior design and exhibitions to the creation of textile collections. 

“One of our most recent projects concerned the identification of an outdoor surface. It was to play a significant artistic role, a factor that presented us with the need (and the pleasure) of experimenting with new materials and finishes”, explain the two founders. “The project involved an extremely long period of gestation, allowing us to subject the chosen options to environmental stresses and thus identify which material offered the client the best durability and easiest maintenance”. 

The life cycle of a single material can differ according to the type of space into which it is introduced; when subject to intense traffic, water-repellent materials that are easily sanitized (including nanotechnology for stain and damp-proofing treatments), and that offer durability and easy maintenance are ideal; public or domestic spaces that require flexibility can respond well to “acoustic” surfaces, such as sound-absorbing wood-fibre panels, fabrics, recycled fibres and insulating glass that offer privacy; a focus on practicality, lightness, reuse, joints and nails in place of glue and sealant, and reduced environmental impact are ideal considerations for temporary setups, while other cases may be more suited to the use of antibacterial or antimicrobial treatments to ensure that surfaces remain intact over time (hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, nursing homes, wellness centres, nursery schools and so on), favouring metal or mirrored surfaces that are easy to clean and that offer both visual and practical cleanliness.

Simona Marzoli

The last ten years have seen a proliferation in study courses in which design, nanotechnology, environmental engineering and synthetic biology come together to create futuristic solutions that take into account our impact on the planet.

While NASA studies fungal mycelium, capable of constructing complex structures with extreme precision that can also be successively expanded, could form the basis for the creation of homes on Mars and the Moon, there are various companies working with recomposed or compostable bioplastics made with algae, flaked corn, fungi or waste organic matter for use in products and finishes. 

Technological research and experimentation can also lead to solutions that offer unexpected visual effects and forms of expression. This is the case with the project by Guardini and Ciuffreda for Materica; modular indoor and outdoor panelling created through metallisation (the high-speed fusion and micronisation of pure metals), oxidisation, laser engraving, resin coating, and the addition of fabrics and natural pigments.

The resulting finish is a work of art: textured, imperfect and uneven surfaces that create visual movement through depth, dynamism and woven effects typical of manual processes. A further example of design that focuses on the well-being of those destined to inhabit a space.

Opening image: Lagunare, available in brass, zinc, copper, pewter and alpacca, all characterised by a contrast between gloss and matte. Two surfaces from the Venice collection, the line of metallised panelling by Materica, created under the creative direction of Tiziano Guardini and Luigi Ciuffreda