Once again, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is bringing a new installation to Milan for the Fuorisalone. After participating in the 2024 edition with "Poesis Materiae" in Piazza Mercanti, which explored new uses for ceramics, ZHA returns to work on another specific material: marble. The installation "Aevum" - which means "eternity" in Latin - doesn't celebrate marble in its traditional use either: it's an opportunity to reflect on the future of a historic material, in particular its processing thanks to the integration of 3D printing and the use of waste for large-scale architectural applications.

"Aevum" is an experiment that is part of the studio's ongoing research into new architectural languages, starting from the technical aspect. Working with the engineers at Eckersley O'Callaghan, the work explores the limits of marble processing and its potential in construction.

The installation is made up of three arches of varying heights, from 4 to 7 metres, and is designed to enter into a visual and spatial dialogue with the Cortile d'Onore of the University of Milan, in which it is inserted, with a size of 6x6 metres and a steel podium illuminated by Griven, which emphasises the materiality of the volumes and the geometric precision of the forms. The lower arch is carved in Bianco Merano Gold marble from the Alps, while the other two arches are 3D printed using an innovative cement mix developed in collaboration with Sika and Vertico. The use of this technology, which includes marble powder waste, is a further step towards more sustainable architecture, capable of rethinking the use of marble in an original and more responsible way.