Technical Portal for Sustainable Architecture
Projects and Transformations: The Building Envelope that Generates Value
From diagnosis to reality: a photographic chronicle of thirty years of excellence
A picture tells the story, but a "before and after" comparison documents a vision. In this section, we've collected the most significant challenges faced by VM Group: buildings that have regained architectural dignity, thermal efficiency, and durability thanks to cutting-edge ventilated façade systems.
These aren't simple renovations, but true envelope regeneration processes. Through the integration of millimeter-scale laser scanning, bioactive materials, and custom-fit design, we transform degraded complexes into high-profile real estate assets. Explore our case studies to discover how envelope engineering can radically change a building's impact and performance.
Corridonia (MC): The Metamorphosis of Industrial Design
VM Group oversaw the radical transformation of an industrial warehouse, elevating it to a high-design structure. This project demonstrates how thirty years of experience allow for the application of monumental materials in production settings, redefining the company's image.
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Before
Traditional Industrial Structure
After
Casing in large Laminam slabs
Design and Performance
Logistics and Durability
Reflection Engineering: Matte White vs. Glossy White
The aesthetic challenge was overcome through a sophisticated play on perception. The envelope alternates matte white surfaces with a central band of glossy white, generating dynamic reflections that transform the façade into a "living" surface, continually changing throughout the day.
Thermal Efficiency and Comfort
Beyond the aesthetic restyling, the integration of the ventilated system has ensured a dramatic improvement in energy performance. The building is not only more beautiful, but also offers superior internal comfort thanks to the continuous insulation that reduces energy consumption and protects the structure.
Fully Concealed System
We have implemented an invisible anchoring system for the large Laminam slabs. This technical choice enhances the purity of the volumes, eliminating any visual disturbance and ensuring pinpoint flatness on monumental surfaces.
Aesthetically Decisive Skirting
At the base of the building, a row of 50 cm gray slabs serves as a refined chromatic contrast. The contrast between the dark base and the white upper volume gives the structure a sense of lightness and a slender visual proportion, typical of modern architectural landmarks.
We transformed a "service" structure into an architectural landmark, demonstrating that large format innovation has no boundaries, from management centers to production sites.
Viterbo: The Elegance of the Monolith in Large Format
In Viterbo, VM Group has transformed a residential building into an icon of modern architecture. The project elevates the concept of urban redevelopment through the use of monumental porcelain stoneware slabs, eliminating the perception of traditional cladding to create a fluid, vertical volume with absolute geometric rigor.
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Before
Residential Building with Traditional Finishes
After
Monolithic Continuous Leather Envelope
Vision and Identity
Engineering and Safety
Continuous Surfaces and Invisible Technology
In Viterbo, VM Group transformed a residential building into an icon of modern architecture. The goal was to eliminate the perception of traditional cladding, creating a fluid, vertical architectural volume. The use of large-format tiles minimized joints, creating a "continuous skin" effect that enhances the structure's rigorous geometric design.
Protection and Energy Shield
Beyond its aesthetic impact, the envelope acts as a thermal shield. The ventilated façade ensures long-lasting protection for the walls and constant internal comfort, drastically reducing the building's energy needs and significantly increasing its market value.
High-Performance Hybrid System
The technical challenge was to ensure maximum structural safety without compromising the purity of the monumental slabs. We adopted a concealed fastening system enhanced by structural thixotropic adhesive. This technology ensures total mechanical strength and extreme resistance to wind stress and temperature changes.
Tailored Precision and Prestige
This project demonstrates the ability to manage the complexity of large formats with pinpoint precision. It's not just about cladding, but about regenerating the building's soul, offering a structure that defies time and fashion, guaranteeing excellent performance and enduring beauty.
The Viterbo project demonstrates VM Group's ability to revitalize the soul of a residential building, transforming it into a premium real estate asset. We've demonstrated that large-format innovation can stand the test of time, ensuring lasting aesthetics and excellent energy performance.
CR Project Viterbo: The Evolution of Industrial Design
The redevelopment of the CR Project headquarters in Viterbo represents the excellence of ventilated façades applied to industrial architecture. VM Group transformed a production facility into a striking, textured envelope using Buchtal stoneware panels with a Corten finish: a solution that combines the warm aesthetic of oxidized metal with the technological durability of high-end ceramics.
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Before
Industrial Building with Traditional Structure
After
Landmark Material in Corten-Effect Leather
Vision and Identity
Engineering and Safety
The Aesthetics of Metal, the Durability of Ceramic
The choice of a Corten finish meets the need for a modern, "lived-in" aesthetic, while transcending the limitations of natural metal. Buchtal extruded stoneware eliminates the risk of oxidation staining and guarantees consistent color saturation over time, offering a prestigious corporate image that requires no maintenance.
Architecture as a Branding Tool
The ventilated envelope is not just a cladding, but a powerful means of communication. CR Project's new façade conveys innovation and attention to detail, transforming the physical headquarters into a business card that reflects the company's excellent positioning on the global market.
Concealed Fixing Engineering
Despite the large scale of the project, we adopted a reinforced invisible mechanical fastening system. This technical choice enhances the linearity of the panels, creating a continuous and architecturally rigorous "skin" that conceals an engineering core designed to withstand all weather conditions.
Thermal Insulation and Industrial Performance
The ventilated façade technology drastically reduces the thermal inertia of the warehouse. Thanks to the rock wool insulation layer and the active air chamber, we have optimized the building's energy management costs, ensuring superior internal comfort in both summer and winter.
With its work for CR Project, VM Group demonstrates that industrial architecture can achieve elite aesthetic heights without sacrificing functionality. We transformed an operational building into a technological structure that defies time and trends.
Euronics Rome: Future and Fluidity in Alucobond
VM Group engineered the technological skin of the new Euronics store in Rome, a new construction project that redefines the retail aesthetic through organic volumes and curved surfaces. The use of Alucobond (aluminum composite) allowed for the creation of a fluid and dynamic envelope, where the complexity of the rounded elements meets the purity of the fully concealed fastening systems.
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Before
Primary Structure and Construction Phase
After
Organic Aluminum Composite Enclosure
Vision and Identity
Engineering and Safety
Organicism and High-Tech Identity
The new Euronics store in Rome was conceived as a dynamic volume that breaks with the rigidity of traditional commercial buildings. The use of composite aluminum allowed for the design of fluid surfaces that envelop the building like a technological fabric, integrating the rounded sections into a visual unity that communicates innovation and cutting-edge retail from the very first moment.
Communication and Urban Presence
The façade is not just a physical boundary, but an urban landmark. The modularity of the white panels, enhanced by the total absence of visible fixings, creates a play of light and shadow that changes throughout the day, making the store an architectural landmark of excellence in the capital's skyline.
Millimetric Curvature and Invisible Fixings
The main technical challenge was modeling the curved parts. We used CNC-machined Alucobond panels and installed using concealed mechanical fastening systems. This technology ensures perfect flatness even on concave and convex surfaces, without interfering with the purity of the architectural lines.
Efficiency and Durability of the Envelope
Alucobond, combined with a rock wool insulation package, creates an excellent thermal and acoustic shield for the commercial building. The weather resistance and color stability of aluminum ensure that the futuristic aesthetic of the building remains unchanged over time, eliminating extraordinary maintenance costs.
Euronics Roma embodies the synthesis of organic design and engineering rigor. VM Group transformed a new building into a work of architectural fluidity, demonstrating that composite aluminum can adapt to the designer's vision without compromising safety and performance.
Condominium Redevelopment: The Era of Large Format
VM Group led the transformation of a massive multi-story residential complex in Viterbo, redefining its identity with monumental 100x300 cm ceramic slabs. This project demonstrates how alternating colors and large formats can elevate large structures, transforming a traditional building into a modern and dynamic architectural entity.
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Before
Residential Complex with Surface Degradation
After
Technical Body in Monumental Slabs 100x300
Design and Performance
Logistics and Durability
Continuous Surface Engineering
The adoption of the monumental 100x300 cm format meets a dual requirement: a prestigious aesthetic and superior technical protection. The use of 3-meter panels creates a nearly seamless "skin," drastically reducing potential leakage points and creating a continuous, high-performance protective barrier.
Radical Thermal Upgrade
Thanks to the ventilated façade system, the building has eliminated the heat loss typical of older finishes. Convection in the cavity ensures dry walls and consistent insulation in all seasons, dramatically improving the well-being of residents and the value of the asset.
Managing Large Buildings
Working on a multi-story building with slabs of this size requires specific expertise in load management and logistics. Each joint and vertical connection has been calibrated to absorb the building's structural micro-movements, ensuring perfect flatness and complete seismic safety.
Certified Decades of Durability
Unlike plasters that degrade rapidly, large-format stoneware is unalterable. Its resistance to smog and UV rays ensures that the building maintains its original appearance over time, eliminating the extraordinary maintenance costs typical of traditional facades.
The Viterbo project confirms VM Group's leadership in managing complex, high-rise construction sites. We transformed a traditional residential building into a modern, technologically advanced structure, demonstrating that large-scale ceramics are key to restoring value, efficiency, and beauty to Italy's architectural heritage.
Volumetric Restyling in Milan: The Metamorphosis of the Building Envelope
VM Group undertook a radical volumetric redesign in Milan, transforming an obsolete commercial building into a structure with a rigorous, contemporary design. Through the installation of auxiliary metalwork, we linearized the original profiles, integrating a technological skin of extruded stoneware that completely redefines the architectural impact and the asset value of the property.
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Before
Commercial Structure with Obsolete Profile
After
Volumetric Metamorphosis with Extruded Stoneware Skin
Engineering and Transformation
Safety and Technical Performance
Structural Challenge: Redefining the Profiles
The original building featured an aesthetic characterized by jarring roofs and fragmented lines. We designed and installed a specially designed auxiliary metalwork structure to "box" the old roof. This engineered skeleton allowed us to create a new, perfectly rectangular profile, without resorting to heavy demolition.
Technological Extruded Stoneware Skin
We installed a high-end porcelain stoneware ventilated façade system on the new volume. The result is a building with a clean, minimalist appearance, where the precision of the lines conceals cutting-edge thermal insulation technology capable of drastically reducing energy consumption.
Efficiency and Asset Value
The transformation is not just visual. The new envelope has eliminated the thermal bridges of the old structure, improving the energy efficiency rating and increasing the property's market value. Transforming an "aging" building into a modern, technologically advanced facility is an investment that guarantees immediate returns in terms of image and savings.
Giving New Life to Concrete
This project demonstrates VM Group's vision: we are capable of seeing the hidden potential in obsolete buildings. Our technical expertise allows us to overcome existing structural limitations, offering turnkey solutions for architectural restyling, where safety and elegance merge in a single, top-notch project.
Milan's restyling demonstrates that there are no limits to redevelopment: with VM Group's engineering, even the most obsolete structure can be transformed into a contemporary design landmark, ready to defy time and the market.
AXA Viterbo Headquarters: Executive Building and Institutional Prestige
The new AXA Assicurazioni headquarters in Viterbo represents a benchmark in contemporary office architecture. VM Group engineered a 370-square-meter ventilated façade made of high-end extruded ceramic, translating the brand's values of solidity and reliability into a high-performance structure capable of combining monumental aesthetics with the most stringent safety standards.
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Before
Office Building in Traditional Plaster
After
Extruded Ceramic Corporate Envelope
Corporate Vision and Identity
Safety and Technical Performance
Representation Engineering: Aesthetics and Function
The office sector requires buildings that reflect efficiency and precision. We achieved fully concealed, flat surfaces through the use of high-end extruded ceramics. The invisible mechanical fastening system created a pure architectural appearance, enhancing the building's modern monumentality and its new corporate identity.
Advanced Thermal and Acoustic Insulation
The ventilated envelope acts as a dynamic barrier, protecting the offices from temperature fluctuations and urban noise. This solution ensures an optimal working environment for employees and a significant reduction in energy costs, transforming the headquarters into a sustainable and resilient building.
Passive Safety and Fire Protection
Consistent with our thirty years of experience, the façade cavity has been equipped with rock wool insulation. This natural, non-combustible material ensures maximum fire protection, a fundamental and essential requirement for high-traffic public and office buildings.
Durability and Material Resilience
The durability of extruded stoneware ensures that the aesthetic prestige of the AXA headquarters remains unchanged over time. The ceramic surface resists atmospheric agents, smog, and wear without the need for costly maintenance, protecting the value of the client's real estate investment for decades to come.
The construction of the AXA headquarters confirms VM Group's ability to engage with international clients, offering turnkey solutions where pinpoint precision meets the efficiency of proven engineering. We protect the value of your property with the same care you take to protect your clients.
Condominium Redevelopment: Large-Scale Volumetric Evolution
VM Group coordinated the complete redevelopment of a residential complex in Viterbo, transforming the original traditional façade into an advanced ventilated façade system. The project employed Buchtal extruded ceramic tiles (120x30 cm), a choice that combines contemporary aesthetics with maximum structural strength, redefining the building's architectural prestige.
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Before
Dated Residential Envelope
After
Facade in Buchtal Ceramic and Rock Wool
Design and Safety
Efficiency and Durability
Architectural Rhythm and Extruded Ceramic
The use of Buchtal slabs in the 120x30 cm format allowed us to redesign the volumes of the condominium, creating a horizontal rhythm that streamlines the structure. Extruded ceramic, thanks to its thickness and composition, offers a unique materiality and superior mechanical resistance, ideal for prestigious multi-story buildings.
Passive Safety and Rock Wool
In line with our standards of excellence, the insulation system was created using rock wool. Being a completely non-combustible material, it guarantees maximum fire protection for the entire residential complex, eliminating any risk of flames spreading to the façade.
Certified Energy Efficiency
The ventilated façade technology combined with Buchtal ceramic has permanently eliminated thermal bridges and humidity problems. This "technological shield" ensures immediate and constant energy savings, significantly increasing the energy efficiency class and market value of apartments.
Durability and Zero Maintenance
Extruded ceramic is renowned for its extreme resistance to atmospheric agents and smog. Unlike conventional finishes, the Buchtal system maintains its aesthetic and technical characteristics for decades, eliminating the costs of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance for the condominium.
This project demonstrates VM Group's versatility in using the best international ceramic systems. We transformed an aging building into a technologically advanced structure where the solidity of Buchtal extruded ceramic and the safety of rock wool redefine the concept of modern living.
Condominium Redevelopment: Seismic Engineering and Curved Tailoring
This construction site in Viterbo represents the perfect synthesis of structural safety and aesthetic regeneration. VM Group transformed an aging condominium through a complex seismic retrofit project featuring a steel exoskeleton clad in a high-performance Buchtal porcelain stoneware shell. The project challenges the rigidity of the material through the creation of curved surfaces on the stairwell, where the precision of the vertical installation meets the rigor of the horizontal slabs of the main body.
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Before
Residential Building with Structural Criticalities
After
Anti-seismic exoskeleton and Buchtal stoneware skin
Vision and Identity
Engineering and Safety
Urban Regeneration and Architectural Identity
The project in Viterbo redefines the concept of residential renovation. We didn't just "dress" the building, we redefined its volume. The chromatic contrast between the warm and cool tones of Buchtal stoneware, combined with the geometric dynamism created by alternating horizontal and vertical installations, transforms an anonymous condominium into an elite real estate asset, capable of standing out in the urban context.
The Stairwell: The Pivot of the Composition
The real aesthetic challenge was managing the curved surface. We transformed a functional element into an architectural pivot, using vertical slabs that follow the sinuosity of the volume. This choice not only enhances the verticality of the stairwell but also creates a visual counterpoint to the horizontal lines of the rest of the façade, lending the building a new sculptural elegance.
Seismic Integration and Steel Structure
Safety is the heart of this construction site. The ventilated façade features an innovative seismic-resistant steel exoskeleton designed to absorb seismic stresses. The anchoring substructure was engineered to seamlessly interface with the new metal framework, ensuring absolute mechanical stability and long-lasting protection for the entire building.
Excellent Thermal Performance
Beneath the Buchtal stoneware skin lies a high-density insulating core. We installed a 12 cm rock wool pack with a density of 70 kg/m3, ensuring top-notch thermal and acoustic performance. This solution eliminates thermal bridges and ensures fireproofing, transforming the building into an extremely efficient and safe "thermal machine."
The Viterbo project demonstrates that seismic safety can and must be combined with aesthetic excellence. VM Group successfully adapted ceramic to a curved geometry, offering residents a home protected by steel and enveloped in the prestige of a ventilated façade.
