Set against the Brera Design District, Asti Architetti and Iris Ceramica Group presented a temporary workstation in the heart of Milan: a corner of the future, an urban oasis designed to recharge our minds and energies.Piazza dei Mercanti, a cornerstone of Milan’s urban history, has become the stage of a project meant to bring added value to urban furnishings: continuous seating that can be freely used to work and rest, in direct contact with an olive tree, the signature style of Asti Architetti.

The project designed an “urban bench” formed by the overlapping of different layers ofCeramica4D, the natural and cutting-edge ceramic surfaces created with Iris Ceramica Group’s full-body technology, expressed through the brand SapienStone. In this corner of the future, it has also been possible to stop for a long time – thanks to the wireless charging stations – and interact with the Hypertouch smart surfacesto switch on the lighting in the evening. The “Urban Station” also contributed to improving the environment, with the natural Active Surfaces® used on the upper layers, which have special anti-pollution, antibacterial and antiviral properties.

The “Urban Station” installation prompted reflection on the themes of urban architecture and “neweco-sustainable urban devices at the service of the citizen” which were discussed on Tuesday 18 April at 6.30 pm in a meeting attended by the Vice-Rector of Milan Polytechnic, Emilio Faroldi, and the architect Paolo Asti, at the Iris Ceramica Group Showroom in via Santa Margherita 4.

The initiative was part of a rich programme of events that was hosted by Iris Ceramica Group in its showroom where, for the whole duration of the FuoriSalone, some outstanding events were held to explore the present and future scenario of architecture, from Italy to Dublin and on to the Middle East.