The force of material

Studio RCHA is behind the design of the new Litex Surface headquarters at Guandong that plays on architectural and aesthetic continuity

Lea Ceramica, Litex Surface HQ, Guandong - Photo © Shanghai Juner Culture Media Co Ltd

 The aesthetic and sensory value of ceramic comes through in the design for the headquarters of the Chinese company Litex Surface in Guandong. The intensity of the colours, the subtle natural shades, the marked tactility, the play of light and shade, as well as high performance in terms of use and application, define the collections of Lea Ceramiche and Cotto d’Este selected by the designer Zhu Boyland from the studio RCHA who was responsible for the design of the headquarters. The designer was inspired by the concept Architectural Structure X Space Context, creating an aesthetic connection between the interior and exterior space via the element of the arch. Further elements of connection between the spaces are the surfaces Lea Ceramiche and Cotto d’Este, both brands of the Panariagroup and both orientated towards ongoing research in terms of both aesthetics and technological performance.

Lea Ceramiche has expressed itself in this project in the Pigmenti collection (created by Ferruccio Laviani) that covers the exterior of the building: the design studio specified the ultra-thin Slimtech Plus maxi-tiles (3.5 mm thick in a 3x1m format), 100% Carbon Neutral, selecting some of the twelve shades that combined together, create a highly dynamic effect on the facade. 

Inside, it is the turn of the extra-large tiles (3x1m) from the Advantage Skin collection by Cotto d’Este, distinguished by the unusual stone effect that combines some of the most evocative mineral textures present in nature with a reduced thickness (3.5mm). The Advantage Skin tiles in porcelain stoneware (also 100% Carbon Neutral) specified in colours Silver and Graphite, clad the walls of the main spaces of the building: the hall and the reception, the doors that connect the various spaces and a number of decor accessories such as furniture and display shelves.