The proposal for Piazza Ceramica, the winning competition entry for Ceramics of Italy pavilion held in October 2012, emerged from the idea of gently lifting the opposite corners of the given 50x60 platform, affording the opportunity to elegantly house the required program elements of café, information, and restaurant below.
The project design was driven by two main strategies; on the one hand a strong inspiration in the Italian Piazza, as an inviting open public space often articulated with gradual steps that serve as seating zones for social interaction; and on the other, a wish to extensively showcase Italian ceramic tile. This double strategy came together as Piazza Ceramica: an open public space articulated with subtle yet visually striking piazza‐like steps in gradients of color achieved entirely by strategic placement of different ceramic tiles.