Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud
Kengo Kuma 

Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud

Kengo Kuma 


This monument goes up on a roundabout in Casalgrande, an area of Reggio Emilia known for its traditional ceramic industry. Casalgrande Padana, a leading company in the field, comissioned the design of an installation for a roundabout, approachable only by car. The proposal, a wall rising 12 meters high and 1.7 meters on its wider part, separates the space into two, emphasizing its dual character. Avoiding the idea of monument as static element, the project experiments with dynamic principles such as time, movement and sequential perception. By aligning the direction of the ceramic wall with the road that leads to it, when reaching the site drivers will perceive just a roundabout divided by a vertical line, and only when going around it can they appreciate it in all its extension and complexity. The main material, ceramic, is used as a structural element beyond its traditional role of cladding thanks to a simple system of white lacquered ceramic pieces of 1200x600x14 millimeters. A bold trace nuanced by a slight vibration generates a blurred cloud structure, which thereby inspires the project’s name, and transforms a banal context into a place that offers a new sensory experience.


Cliente Client

Casalgrande Padana spa

Arquitecto Architect

Kengo Kuma & Associates

Colaboradores Collaborators

Università di Ferrara, Università di Catania, CCDP Reggio Emilia (arquitecto local local architect); Casalgrande Padana spa (mánager de proyecto project manager); Ejiri Structural Enjineers, CCDP Reggio Emilia (estructura structural engineering); Casalgrande Padana (ingeniería service engineering); Viabizzuno (iluminación lighting design)

Contratista Contractor

Casalgrande Padana

Fotos Photos

Marco Introini