Office Building

Large size panels (approx 72” x 33”) of Rosa Portogallo marble must be employed for covering five indoor walls. These walls are visibly separated by the lifts and by two linking gangways on each floor. The variability of veining and colour of this material caused a careful examination in planning the cutting process and the installation of the slabs on each wall, in order to achieve a chromatic and veining consistency which could enhance the qualities of the material itself. The setup of an array of slabs so different from one another in appearance would have generated a checkered effect on each wall. This purpose was achieved by choosing a single block of material for each wall and, during the cutting process, every slab was numbered in order to assemble the panels with the same sequence as the block sawing. The result is a very harmonious development of the veining which, gradually changing in intensity and width from one slab to the other, enhances not only the stone material but also the unique magnificence of the whole façade. Furthermore, every panel typically presents return edges on two sides. It is therefore evident that the intention of the designers was to give a monolithic sense to every single panel by using a solution that would dramatically reduce the weight of every single piece. The high technological standard at Taltos’ disposal allows us to create these panels with a uniformity of veining in the slab top and return edges that gives the observer the sensation that the panel is made out of a whole, remarkably thick block of marble. The coupling system of the slab with a honeycomb veneer which is vertically and horizontally adjustable gives the opportunity to dramatically reduce the weight of every single piece and to obtain an easy assembling process of the panels on the wall. The respect and attention that Taltos have paid for a long period of time to marble, a natural material with a long millennial history, is here highlighted in a detail which cannot be overlooked in a close examination of the final result: the central façade, characterized by the balconies in front of the lifts, was created in consideration of the mirrored veining direction of the two lateral walls. The veins joint takes place in the central row of the wall in the middle and was obtained with open-book panels. The resulting effect is that of an almost symmetrical façade, directly cut out of the stone, which gives value to the volumetric composure.