I.T Ceramiche Headquarters, China

Designed by Foshan Topway Design, I.T Ceramiche is an Italian tile brand that features Italian aesthetics. Classicism in ancient Rome and modern minimalism of Milan represent the aesthetic laws of Italy. In this project, the design team extracted distinctive elements like vault and Roman column from ancient Roman buildings, and meanwhile drew on geometric blocks from modern constructions. With both combined naturally, the space creates a close dialogue between modernity and classicism, taking visitors to a magical journey of time travel.

The quintessence of classicism is order and symmetry, while modernism emphasizes geometry and asymmetry. For this project, the key of the design was to create a free sense of order, combine classicism and modernism as well as strike a balance between past and future. While paying tribute to ancient Roman classicism, the project also creates a unique Oriental Zen atmosphere featuring modern wabi-sabi. Elegance and neatness collide with various material textures, creating a tranquil spatial realm in the bustling city and showing a return to simplicity.

Through combining modernism and classicism, the designers reconstructed structures such as ceiling, walls and partitions in the space. Featuring a sense of architecture, various irregular structures intersect or interpenetrate each other. The arched colonnade ensures a relatively uninterrupted view, and the disorderly blocks creates a contrasting, mysterious visual effect whilst evoking emotions.