On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2025, ANAB—the National Association for Bioecological Architecture, which promotes healthy and sustainable building, living, and habitation practices—together with TerraMigakiDesign, a team of professionals united by the desire for growth and international exchange in the field of green building, particularly focused on the development of raw earth design, presents the ninth edition of Design Week. This year’s edition focuses on sustainability and raw earth with the theme “Ris-volti Materici.”
Hosted in Fabbrica del Vapore, the pavilion that gives the event its name, designed by architect Sergio Sabbadini, aims to highlight the value of raw materials from both the soil and subsoil, transforming them into the many faces of external and internal facades. Waste earth extracted from the Botticino quarries at the Cava Marco is repurposed as a byproduct, becoming claybased interior coatings for radiant walls combined with the Finotherm system, as well as material coatings. Marble from the quarries, enhanced by Ecobel’s Trigobel technology and the craftsmanship of Marble & Granite Service Srl, is used for ventilated external facades and internal hemp-based insulation, blending the functional and aesthetic qualities of natural stone. The facades are further enriched by artistic reinterpretation of Matteo Mezzadri, who brings
them to life through projections of faces: “Identity” and “Sindone” (Shroud), where the earth itself seemingly reveals the artist's face. In his installation “RESURREZIONE,” artist Matteo Mezzadri, in collaboration with project designer Sergio Sabbadini and fabricator Jessica De Simone, symbolically represents the regeneration of earth. Sacred symbolism is concealed among raw brick partitions that appear to emerge from the earth. The sacred can only be perceived by looking through the many apertures in the perforated walls. “CHAPEL MMXXV” by Massimo Chiappetta is a sculptural piece offering a plastic meditation on the origin of the room as a symbolic form. The work explores the dialogue between body and space, full and empty, curved and straight, heavy and light, inside and outside, open and closed, light and shadow, presence and absence. These elemental dualities reveal the generative and compositional process, illustrating the ongoing dialogue between Earth and Sky. The stone, in the form of Botticino marble slabs, embodies straight lines, while the raw earth, sculpted in counterpoint, reveals convex forms. The exhibition “I PREZIOSI” (The Preciousness of Earth) presents the use of earth in contemporary design, showcasing a selection of projects from around the world. “Catena” by Ground Studio features totemic geometric elements made from compressed earth, where modularity allows for various configurations and functions. The China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, represented by professors Chen Lichao and Wei Chaochao, will also present their work. Additionally, new design objects by architect Jiang Wei, winner of the TMD2018
competition, will be on display. The section “SUPER FACES: Raw Earth Surfaces for Interiors” presents prototypes of panels made from quarry earth, carefully blended with fibers to create cladding sheets for interior spaces. Beyond the intrinsic materiality, the surfaces will be trasformed by the artistic contribution of decorators and designers such as Raffaele Corti, Massimo Maffi, Ivan Presti Frigerio, Gabriele Risso, Beatrice Loda, Luigi Turati, and the TMD team, giving interior surfaces new «faces». The “Ris-volti Materici” event will be enriched by a series of thematic initiatives, including a conference organized for the Milan Architects’ Fondation, guided tours, and in-depth discussions in collaboration with other Associations, Universities, and Professional organisations.
