The 2024 Compasso d’Oro in the materials and technological systems design category has been awarded to CELLIA®, the new interactive facade conceived, developed and patented in synergy between Progetto CMR – a company specialized in integrated design which in 2024 is celebrating 30 years of activity – and the Gruppo Focchi, a company with considerable experience in engineered and made-to-order facade solutions.
Project Name: Cellia
Studio Name: Progetto CMR
Developed from the idea that the relationship between the external skin of buildings and their internal environments is now essential, CELLIA® is the new reactive/sensitive module for building facades. It is fully integrated and features a high level of technological content, as well as being completely customizable in terms of finishes, dimensions and levels of performance. It is also entirely made in-house using advanced engineering systems.
CELLIA® features the integration of air conditioning and ventilation systems including the wiring and cabling within a single interactive cell. It also includes screening systems using fixed vertical/horizontal brises soleil and mobile elements with technical curtains, as well as energy generating systems using photovoltaic panels together with both internal and external lighting. In addition, this innovative system can be controlled remotely and integrated with the most advanced Building Management Systems.
The interactive facade can be installed quickly and easily both on new builds and on existing constructions without the need to move people already living and working there, thus keeping the properties profitable and reducing construction times. Maintenance has also been designed to be easy and safe, and therefore also more economical, thanks to in-depth studies of the mounting and installation points and access to the internal system units.
In this way, the construction site becomes smart, speedy and low-impact: the installation is carried out in sectors, so as to limit overlap to a minimum during working hours. In addition installation times are reduced thanks to manufacturing being carried out almost completely off site. This thus presents a solid opportunity for the redevelopment of existing real estate properties, increasing their economic value, improving their energy efficiency and reducing maintenance costs. Furthermore, when intervening on buildings, architectural and urban planning constraints are often encountered to which CELLIA®, being both flexible and modular, easily adapts. At the same time, by interacting with the formal characteristics of the space in which it is inserted, the module makes the facades of the buildings unique and exceptional, resulting in each building leaving its own special mark on the urban landscape.
“We are extremely proud that CELLIA® has entered the Olympus of the best in Italian industrial design, and even more excited that this recognition has arrived in 2024, given that this is the year in which Progetto CMR celebrates 30 years of activity and the Compasso d’Oro Award celebrates its 70th anniversary” says architect Massimo Roj, founding partner and CEO of Progetto CMR. “The idea behind CELLIA® came from listening to the needs of the market, our partners and customers. Unfortunately Italy suffers from a vast number of obsolete buildings, 84.5% of which were built before 1990 compared to 65.6% in France and 75.3% in Germany1. There is also a low level of building renovation, equal to 0.85% per year when compared to 1.7% in France and Germany. CELLIA® thus represents the answer to this situation: multiple functions integrated into a single module able to make properties unique, technological and thus highly valuable.”
