The beauty and practicality of surfaces for recreational spaces

Harmoniously associating surfaces with their surroundings is one of the priorities of today’s architectural projects.

In sports and leisure facilities this harmony between the aesthetic and functional aspects is even more obvious, because of the need to create an image, a shared emotion which is an integral part of the leisure experience.

Projects such as swimming pools, sports facilities, theatres and multipurpose recreational centres have become more and more popular in recent decades, essential elements of architecture even in mid-sized towns and on the outskirts of metropolitan cities.

For its many projects with a focus on sports, recreation and culture , FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti offers a series of porcelain tile collections that are "naturally" suited to becoming an essential part of architectural projects, as in the case of San Valentino Golf Club in Castellarano (RE).

San Valentino hotel, restaurant and international golf course has a swimming pool, a gym and a wellness and fitness area, all in the splendid natural setting of 130 hectares of forests and meadows with 4 lakes. 

The facility includes nature walks for bird-watching, sports fishing lakes and wilderness survival courses.

In the renovation of the 250 sqm patio of the Club House (designer Ido Corradini), with its splendid views of the green and the hills around it, all these natural elements represented a resource and a model for the design, from the choice of tile colour to the laying scheme employed.

The tiles chosen for the project were Parana Gold and Parana Brown with a textured surface, "in that the harmonious graduated hues of the 60x30 tiles go perfectly with the plaster on the walls, and non-slip tiles were used as the surface is outdoors” (guaranteeing optimal adherence even in poor weather conditions). 

The composition of the Clubhouse patio used two contrasting colours with tiles laid at right angles and at 45°, dividing the space into three zones: a central passage and two extremities linking different parts of the structure.

FMG’s high-tech porcelain marble, stone and granite can be used just as effectively in high-traffic interiors, as in the renovation of Cinema Ideal in Turin (planned by architect Comoglio).

Nero Marquinia and Statuario Venato are keys to the aesthetics of the space, arranged in a “wedge shape”, with contrasting colours to create an effect that brings movie-goers together and directs them to the various halls, following the shape of the lobby.

The polished finish underlines the tiles’ visual impact, as does the series of mosaic tiles that breaks up the two-tone colour scheme.

The elegance and charm of Statuario Venato, which stands out for the original hues that make every piece unique, also cover the floors in another important cultural project, the John Lennon Museum (designed by Studio Taisei Corporation) in Saitama prefecture in the Tokyo metropolitan area. 

The result is a sophisticated, attractive atmosphere in the big Saitama Super Arena, where memorabilia of the great British musician were collected for 10 years (2000-2010) and seen by more than 600 thousand visitors from all over the world.
 

Marco Privato

---

GALLERY