The senses take to the air

Injecting a sense of emotional identity into a non-place is the aim of the new concept for the toilet facilities at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, designed by Studio Muzi & Associati, an engineering company based in the Italian capital, which won the international ideas competition held by ADR Engineering. Against a backdrop in which millions of people experience the frenetic transience of air travel, and countless different worlds cross paths, the design team – made up of Mario Muzi and Marco Giuffrida in partnership with Giovanna Talocci – imagined a sensory environment that takes full account of passengers‘ feelings, with a view to creating an emotionally appealing habitat, whose welcoming, comfortable nature makes it feel more like a home than a public space. With foliage adorning the green walls and colour creating a friendly atmosphere, this is quite simply a good place to be. The Rome-based firm, which also developed the definitive project and acted as artistic director in the construction phase, designed a series of architectural spaces that take account of the accessibility, usability and integrated functionality required at all levels, in accordance with international standards. The team turned the concept into reality with Italian-made designer materials that incorporate the most advanced technological features. These don’t merely blend into the airport setting, they energise it exponentially too. The materials and finishes were all selected on the basis of build-quality and performance, with a preference for warm colours and natural textures. The walls of the toilet facilities are tiled with beige Slimtech RE-evolution panels by Lea Ceramiche, which replicate – in laminated porcelain tile – the tactility more typically associated with spatula-spread resin coverings. The random movement generated by this process is replicated in ceramic, to create a soft, velvety effect, that shuns the use of conventional surface polishing or glazing, in favour of a latest-generation production technology in which no moulds are used (the bodies are mixed with coloured glass before firing at 12,000°C). The large size (300×100 cm) and ultra-slim thickness of the tiles (just 3.5 mm) bring a sense of visual continuity to the environment. So while the effect is that of resin, the functional characteristics are those of ceramic, in keeping with the nature of the space in question. The lighting design also plays a key role in the project. Using reliable and sustainable LED technology, it generates different lighting scenarios to fulfil different functions and assure constant visual comfort. The lighting keeps step with the architectural design and interior furnishings, while occasionally interpreting the airport and travel theme. Shards of light sculpted on the walls and ceilings bring to mind the con-trails and trajectories of aircraft in flight, giving free rein to the imagination and appealing directly to the emotions.