Niccolò Cusano University

A First Class in Design

The Niccolò Cusano University is one of Italy’s most prestigious learning institutions. Its Telematics eCampus has helped bring higher education into the 21st century, providing online classes and contact with a personal tutor every day to its students. The bricks-and-mortar campus itself is a historic site, situated in the north of Rome, and features materials and design often seen in classical architecture.

When the decision was made to build a new complex, the owners knew they wanted the extension to serve as a link between the site’s history and the university’s ongoing work to modernise learning. The initial brief sought to achieve an aesthetic both majestic and formidable, yet still modern and contemporary. Giuseppe Zaccariello, design engineer on the project, knew the final concept would need to respect the original building, while establishing its own distinct style.

Tradición 2.0

Zaccariello’s challenge was to combine the client’s desire for uniformity, efficiency and practicality with aesthetic appeal. Key to overcoming this was specifying the right material that would respect all the client’s requests.

Following lengthy research into different surfaces, Zaccariello discovered Neolith®. Its inherent strength, combined with a wide range of hyper-realistic designs, led him to use the Iron collection for the project.

He wanted the project to be evocative of contemporary Italian design, breaking from traditional architecture. Patinated and stained metals stood out from more classical, marmoreal materials. He felt using a variety of raw iron effects would retain uniformity throughout the design, while still distinguishing individual detailing.

Iron Aged

Iron Corten was chosen for its distinctive, rusty hues, the weathered metal pattern perfectly capturing the juxtaposition between the university’s future-facing vision and the heritage of the site it sits on. Lighter Iron Frost Iron Frost framed the new complex, while Iron Ash emphasised the other two patterns against the backdrop of the whole build.

The external design draws through into the interior. Iron Corten and Iron Frost were used to clad the reception hall. Iron Corten was specified for all worktops, planters and other elements creating a uniform vision for the building, outside and in. The result is rich and complex, elegant yet modern, with a strong, visually appealing contrast between the industrial motifs of Neolith Iron and the fresh green of the foliage.

Looking to the Future, by Caring for the Future

In line with the university’s efforts to promote itself as a modern institution, sustainability was at the top of the agenda. Neolith’s natural composition was another reason for its selection for the project. Not only this, but Neolith’s HYDRO NDD-2.0design technology means that only water-based inks are used for patterns rather than solvent reliant inks. This has cut each slab’s carbon footprint dramatically.