AUGMENTED ARCHITECTURE: MAPEI WITH CINO ZUCCHI AT THE FUORISALONE 2021

Interni Creative Connections | 4th – 19th September 2021
AUGMENTED ARCHITECTURE: MAPEI WITH CINO ZUCCHI AT THE FUORISALONE 2021

Cino and Chiara Zucchi’s augmented architecture inspired by Mapei on display at Milan Statale University
Milan, 1st September 2021 – Mapei is presenting Augmented Architecture, a work designed by the
architect Cino Zucchi, involved in the FuoriSalone of Milan Furniture show for the first time, and his
daughter Chiara, a designer and multimedia artist, as part of the ‘Interni Creative Connections’
exhibition1.

Installed near the entrance gate and honorary northern stairway in “Richini’s” courtyard at Milan
Statale University, the work consists in a simple and yet effective element: a great mask with polymer
covering reproducing the upper part of the existing portal expandend six times along its horizontal
axis.

This “explosion” of the figure that heightens the details of the moldings and sculptures through their
significant distortion, increase the salient features of the portal, rather than covering them like other
previous installations, and generates a dense figure of new meaning.
A creative process that is inspired by the very essence of Mapei which, in the words of Cino Zucchi,
does not have a figure of its own but rather intervenes to bind different elements and give life to new
forms or enhance and restore existing ones.

“Augmented Architecture wants to interpret both a specific place and the company Mapei, looking
for a temporary intersection between their important histories and current states – so Zucchi stated
-. Mapei products do not have their own figure, they act as a means of bringing together existing
constructions elements or reinterpret them through interventions designed to protect, colour or
insulate. That is why this work looks so simple and effective, capable of directly conveying Mapei’s
commitment to conserve and reinterpret human environments increasingly enhancing the
concepts of durability, restoration and sustainability”.

Veronica Squinzi, Mapei’s CEO, added: “After the interruption due to the pandemic, some difficult
moments and plenty of uncertainties, Mapei is once again at the FuoriSalone to support the revival
of the furniture and building sectors and reassert Italy and Milan’s position at the very forefront of
design and industry. We are delighted to be partners with the architect Cino Zuccchi, who shares
values we hold (such as restoring and conserving the historical-artistic heritage and a commitment
to increasingly long lasting and sustainable building) and loves this place and this city as much as
us. With his incredible sensibility, expertise and an ability to see the essence of the things, Cino Zucchi
has managed to embody the very nature of Mapei and its contribution to the building world”.

The same creative process resulting in the creation of the installation conforms with the basic values
underscoring Mapei’s own research, according to which knowledge is obtained through discoveries
and gradual improvements based on studying the facts. The first step was to make a 3D scan of the
gate, which had already been studied by the architect Zucchi for his book entitled “L’architettura dei
1 Credits: Cino Zucchi Architetti (Cino Zucchi, Stefano Goffi with Francesco Biccheri, Emad Lajevardi)
and Chiara Zucchi cortili milanesi 1535 – 1706”. Next the actual form of the work was created, a kind of mask reproducing the top part of the entrance blown up six times along the horizontal axis to focus on its physiognomy.

Lastly, the sculpture was attached to the ceiling from which it hangs and completed with a polymer
cover that creates vibrant light effects. Augmented Architecture is also the subject of the talk part of the series of encounters “Design the change”, dedicated to technological innovation and environmental protection, to be held in the Academic Senate Hall at 18.30 on Saturday 4th September 2021. At this meeting (by invitation only), the architect Cino Zucchi discussed the project and the process that guided CZA in creating this original installation with Mapei’s CEO Veronica Squinzi. It also provided the opportunity to find outmore about the architect and his firm’s approach to architecture, landscape design and urban design.

A recording of the talk, broadcast in live streaming on Mapei’s Facebook webpage, can also be
watched on internimagazine.it at 18:30 on Wednesday 15th September 2021.

MapeiFounded in 1937 in Milan, Mapei is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of chemical products for the building industry and has helped construct some of the most important architectural-infrastructural works across the planet. With 90 subsidiaries in 57 countries and 83 manufacturing plants in 36 countries, the Group employs over 10, 500 staff worldwide. The Mapei Group’s consolidated revenue in 2019 was €2.8 billion. The keys to the company’s success are: specialisation, internationalisation, research & development and sustainability.

www.mapei.it
For further information:
MAPEI PRESS OFFICE
Daniela Pradella I d.pradella@mapei.it I 348 2586205 I + 39 02 3767 3374
Nicoletta Balocchi I n.balocchi@mapei.it I 334 6716205 I +39 02 3767 3547

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