25/02/2020 - Passengers landing at Minneapolis-St. Paul international airport can virtually step onto Italian soil, thanks to Ceramiche Piemme and the InterContinental Hotel project. In the case of the InterContinental Hotel, the Purestone collection is used for the flooring and some of the wall coverings of almost 300 bathrooms and guest bedrooms.
“Stone and granite create a material link with the essence of Minneapolis' explains Scott Steinkamp, Senior Project Design Architect of RSP Architects. “Practical, high-quality wall coverings create a natural effect that is melded with the engineering-inspired aesthetic of the airport”.
The 12-storey hotel has 291 guest rooms, including nine suites; two restaurants, a penthouse-level observation bar, a business centre, a luxury spa and 2000 m² of convention spaces: the five-star structure is directly connected to the Minneapolis – St. Paul international airport concourse by a specially designed ‘sky bridge’ and has its own security check point.
The hotel exterior is clad with large glass panels, illuminated with LED lights to evoke the 10,000 lakes of the state of Minnesota, which frame the views over the surrounding nature reserve, the Mississippi river and the urban centres: a continuous folded curtain wall designed “to mimic the rippling of water and Minnesota’s many lakes as you are flying into the airport”.
For floors and walls, Tile by Design of Minneapolis has proposed Ceramiche Piemme Purestone collection in lead and grey finishes: almost 5000 m² of ceramic tiles replicating the aesthetic of various different natural stones. Technology and design ensure the use of the collection in contract projects too, thanks also to the three-dimensional “linea” and “muretto” surfaces.
Ceramiche Piemme on ARCHIPRODUCTS
