Distilleria Zanin Zugliano with FMG floor tiles

Distilleria Zanin has renovated an abandoned silkworm farm in Zugliano, near Vicenza (Italy), in collaboration with another Italian company, FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti. The project involved restoration of an industrial complex of historic importance to the town and conversion for use as Zanin's new distillery and sales office. FMG supplied all the flooring materials in the production and sales areas, offices and conference rooms.
Distilleria Zanin opened in the late nineteenth century in Zugliano, a small farming and shepherding town in Veneto. Bartolo Zanin first opened an inn, but soon realised that distillation was a more interesting and profitable venture. The family followed in his footsteps, surviving two world wars to come down to the present day with a brand that is well-known even outside of Italy.

The company's historic premises in the town centre were no longer practical in terms of logistics or capable of supporting increased production and the need for new plants, but the company's ties to the town where it was born meant that the new location had to be in the same area. The only appropriate complex was the former Marini silk workshop on the outskirts of Zugliano, to the southwest of the town on the Astico river, now abandoned and in poor shape. In the community's imagination the Marini plant still represented what was once the pride and joy of the Zugliano economy. Restoring the building and converting it to continue the history of industry in the area as a distillery was Zanin's civic duty, as the company that now holds the leading position in the local economy once held by the Marini family.
Architect Roberto Munaretto came up with a plan involving demolition of the old industrial building, in very poor condition and no longer suitable for use, and restoration of the historic building dating back to 1860. Its original stone structure was restored, while some parts were demolished and rebuilt in brick and concrete. The wood and tile roof was also rebuilt, while the windows with low ogival arches and the decorative terra cotta cornices on the façades were restored. An inner garden now separates the old building from the new one, a prefabricated plant with bays with a span of 31 metres with no pillars, designed to guarantee the utmost flexibility of use.

The choice of FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti flooring materials demonstrated respect for the original historic structure in the old building: the conference room, with its imposing wooden roof, the sales rooms, the shop and the offices feature Lipica dorato naturale in the 60x60 cm size, while the company museum with its barrel vault ceilings and the underground events area, with its cross vaults, feature Pietra di Gerusalemme burattata 60x30 cm floor tiles. The storage areas and production and bottling lines featuring particularly wear-resistant flooring materials capable of bearing high loads: Cristal 20x20 cm and Valeggio 40x40 cm tiles were used in the production plant.

Design: Roberto Munaretto
Client: Distilleria Zanin S.r.l.
Location: Zugliano (Italy)
Structural design: Studio Ing. Rosa Breganze
Lighting design: Illesi
Landscape design: Roberto Munaretto
Total usable surface area: 25000 sqm
Lot size: 30000 sqm
Project start date: 2009
Completion of work: 2013
Builder: Panizzon (masonry), Baraclit (prefabrication)
PVC and aluminium frames
Brick walls with unplastered terra cotta portions (office building), prefabricated concrete panels with black marble flakes (plant)
Timber and tile roof (office building), shed roof (plant)
Concrete and brick structure (office building), prefabricated concrete (plant)
Inside walls finished with mortar
Floor and wall coverings FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti (Iris Ceramica Spa Group)
Flooring in company museum and events area: Pietra di Gerusalemme burattato 60x30 (about 800 sqm)
Flooring in shop, conference room, sales rooms, offices: Lipica 60x60 dorato naturale (about 1100 sqm)
Bathroom tiles: Lipica dorato levigato 60x30 (300 sqm)
Flooring in production area: Cristal 20x20 (about 5500 sqm), Valeggio 40x40 (about 350 sqm)
Flooring in accessories compartment: Platino 20x20 (about 400 sqm)

http://www.irisfmg.it/
www.zanin.it

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