- Italcementi Group

ITCLab – Innovation and Technology Central Laboratory – is Italcementi Group’s new research and innovation centre.

More than one hundred employees and researchers from Italcementi Group, who are currently based in other offices, will work at the new centre. The project involves the construction of an 11,000 square metre facility, with 7,500 m2 of the total area intended purely for research laboratories. The centre, designed by American architect Richard Meier, is set in the Kilometro Rosso Science and Technology Park, located on the outskirts of Bergamo, alongside the Milan-Venice highway.

The building will be constructed using TX Aria® white cement, based on TX Active®, the photocatalytic principle patented by Italcementi. This innovative solution was previously utilized by Meier for his “Dives in Misericordia” Church. TX Active helps surfaces to maintain a consistent appearance over time, and contributes to a significant reduction in pollution.

ITCLab is set to be a benchmark in Sustainable Architecture in Europe. The design team is fully committed to a process in which environmental performance and economic return will be maximized. The objective is to conform to the “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) standard, the most significant and stringent U.S. certification scheme for energy and the environment. In collaboration with the Energy Department of the Politecnico di Milano, the project strives to become a “Partner” to the “GreenBuilding” programme of the European Commission, which recognizes energy efficiency and the introduction of renewable sources for energy supply.

To cut consumption of conventional energy sources and thus atmospheric CO2 emissions, photovoltaic panels and solar panels for the heating and air conditioning system will be installed on the roof of the new Centre. Further energy contribution will come from the geothermal plant that will use solar energy stored in the soil and subsoil.

With this project, Italcementi shows once again that research and innovation are key values for growth – not only economic but also cultural and social – of a Group that is one of the global leaders in its industry. The company has made it a priority to pursue a growth strategy that is compatible with the principles of Sustainable Development.