On 18 September 2026, the Rogers Room at Politecnico di Milano hosted the conference “Forms, Technologies, Expressions of Metal Cladding in Architecture”, organized by Zintek.
Founded in 1863, Politecnico di Milano is Italy’s largest technical university and one of the most prestigious in Europe. As well as training new engineers, architects, and designers, it also conducts intensive research in collaboration with businesses and institutions.
Lecturers, architects, engineers, professional body representatives, and businesses came together at the event to discuss the role of the building envelope and the need to forge ever-closer bonds between university training, professional practice, and manufacturing skills. The day also provided an opportunity to explore zintek®’s potential as a cladding material and the contribution a specialist company like Zintek can make when redeveloping buildings of various types and uses.
Events like this give students a better idea of the reality of the construction world and offer professionals a chance to update their knowledge, share experiences, and acquaint themselves with constantly evolving technologies and regulations.
From design to construction details
Case studies were used to highlight an array of different architectural approaches: the geometric complexity of the Grand Hotel Ampezzo in Cortina; the integrated design of Tina Anselmi Primary School in Marcon; the dialogue between façade, light, and landscape in the Marconi–Lévinas Vocational Schools in Merano; and the expressive language of the swimming pool in Rimini and the Tobagi gymnasium in Bergamo.
Technical talks focused on professional certification for sheet metal workers, on roofs’ external fire performance, and on the titanium-zinc zintek® systems’ BROOF (t3) classification.
Awards for top architects
The day ended with a celebration of buildings and their architects who, in projects that varied greatly in their function and scale, successfully combined form, material, performance, and quality execution.
The prize-winning architecture included the Chalet Fiat in Madonna di Campiglio; Malga Zambana on Mount Paganella; Borgo Banditaccia in Magliano in Toscana; the San Luca Auxological Hospital, the UniCredit Pavilion, and the Prysmian Headquarters in Milan; Davines Village in Parma; the Le Albere Neighbourhood of Trento; and the Central Pavilion in the Biennale Gardens in Venice.
Zintek presented each winner with a titanium-zinc rose: a small object that reflects how precision, experience, and expert craftsmanship can transform the material into something else entirely.
Zintek’s history on display
The conference was accompanied by an exhibition of Zintek publications and a series of panels describing the history of the company and the Porto Marghera factory, which has been in operation since 1936.
The books, monographs, magazines, and archive images generated great interest among participants, showing how for some time Zintek has combined its industrial production with research, training, and promoting building culture.
Universities, professionals, and businesses may operate in separate areas, but they all share the same goal: architecture that combines high-quality design, technical knowledge, and meticulous implementation.
