The Conbipel Spa design team, coordinated by architect Cristiana Ghno and Studio Baciocchi e Associati in Arezzo (Arch. Daniele Detti and Arch. Massimiliano Naldi), used Vetroarredo in three different contexts:

- a new store inside the Carrefour Shopping Center in Assago (Milan);

- an existing building in Savignano sul Rubicone in the province of Rimini, for a large commercial area;

- at the boutique in Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) in a former industrial factory.

The architects decided to use the Pegasus metalized wavy 19 x 19 x 8 cm block in all three cases to create a new and recognizable corporate identity.

The designers chose Pegasus after carefully analyzing various possibilities. Vetroarredo’s Pegasus block includes all of the best properties of glass blocks, starting with maximum transparency. The joints between blocks can also be exclusively reduced to a minimum of 2 mm. Furthermore, the chosen metalized version provides increased reflectivity due to metallization of the external edges.

From a performance point of view, the mechanical resistance is better than a traditional glass block laid with a cement joint greater than 10 mm, while thermal and sound insulation remain unchanged in the entire SEVES Vetroarredo line.

The result is dramatic, architecturally coherent with the environment with eye-catching appeal.

The Assago project consisted of two broad facades of windows surrounded by elegant glass blocks, creating an external urban design element.

Interiors with impressive structures that become strong design elements characterize the Savignano sul Rubicone site, giving the building an appearance that goes well beyond a sales function: seven towers, 7.65 m high, with square bases are positioned at the sides of the escalators to form a colonnade that reinforces the vertical connections, comprising two floors in a single space. The Pegasus metalized wavy block was chosen in this case too, in combination with glass corners to give continuity to the tower materials. The towers function, on the ground floor only, as fitting rooms; they can be accessed through the open side of the square base (the glass block structure is, in fact, U-shaped), equipped with a curtain, and the two parallel walls terminate with Pegasus linear end blocks.

The same logic was used for the staircase and access to the elevator; the two elements were “encapsulated” in a reflective glass box with bright steel edges for a dramatic look of undeniable elegance.

The main theme of the Sesto Fiorentino project was the restoration of the “skin” of an old industrial building. The main facades consist of smooth rectangular mirror-like surfaces, approximately 30 sq m each.

The combination of materials (glass and steel blocks) superbly resolved the renovation problem, which gave the building a totally new architectural dignity.

The materials also fulfilled the customer’s main requests: function and elegance.

Problems related to natural illumination by day and artificial lighting at night were solved by creating, in this case, an effect similar to a light kaleidoscope.