When industry meets modernity

Inox Tecnica, a company specialising in industrial equipment distribution, is a story of success and continuous growth. Founded in 1996, the company started out as a small factory in the town of Soliera in the province of Modena, but following a series of strategic marketing decisions and positive results it expanded and eventually opened a new facility. This new complex was built from scratch in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and meets the need to «double the warehouse storage capacity and create a modern and attractive office building to accommodate the constantly expanding sales force as well as customers and suppliers», explains Gianni Nardiello, Inox Tecnica’s sales director. Developed in-house in collaboration with Carpi-based general contractor LC Costruzioni, the project adopted eco-sustainable building standards and low-energy solutions. Located on a 6000 m2 site in Soliera’s industrial park, Inox Tecnica’s new facility includes a storage warehouse and preparation area with a total floor space of 4000 m2 and a height of 11 metres. A photovoltaic system installed on the roof means that the facility is entirely self-sufficient in terms of energy. The office building, which occupies the front portion of the structure with tinted glass windows for sound insulation and reduced heat gain, is distributed over a total area of approximately 900 m2 on two levels. The ground floor houses the lobby and reception, a small meeting room, three administration and logistics offices, a lounge and bathrooms for employees and guests. The upper-level work spaces are separated by glass partitions that create a sense of continuity with the glazed façades of the front elevation and include a general meeting room and presidential and sales offices characterised by brightly-lit open spaces, functional rooms, and refreshment and service areas. «The facility as a whole is very interesting in terms of its simple yet modern architecture and its use of hi-tech materials,» explains Nardiello. This approach also involved the use of ceramic tiles from several Florim collections for the interiors. In particular, the desired industrial effect is created by the choice of large slabs from the Rawtech/ series, in Raw-mud colour, laid on the floor throughout the office building in «perfect contrast to the brushed concrete of the warehouse floors» and the opacity of the large windows. On the bathroom walls, they are in turn juxtaposed with the pure, rigorous cementitious texture of the Industrial collection in colour Ivory. The Maps series in a Light Grey colour selected for the floors in the communal areas recreates a more contemporary version of concrete compared to the warehouse, while the Elemental Stone collection in a White Sandstone colour brings its clean aesthetics to the bathroom and kitchen walls in the dining area. The facility was inaugurated in 2021, «exactly 25 years after the company was founded», concludes Gianni Nardiello with evident satisfaction.