When we talk about reuse in architecture, the narrative often focuses on raw material—its origin and transformation. But what happens between recovery and installation? Who works at that invisible threshold where a project takes shape, turning an idea into a technical detail? This is where the dialogue between Park and Fornace S. Anselmo comes in—a company that has studied and reinvented the language of brick for over a century.

Resourceful Intelligence, the project presented by Park at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, provided an opportunity to explore a shared ground: a passion for materials, a sensitivity to transformation, and a commitment to developing construction systems that are both innovative and deeply rooted in tradition. We visited Fornace S. Anselmo’s production site to closely observe their development processes and field-tested solutions. What emerged from this collaboration was not just a new tile—but a system.

The clinker tiles forming one of the two façades of the installation come from the former Hotel Michelangelo in Milan, which was carefully dismantled as part of the MI.C project. This new urban regeneration initiative, which reimagines the area around Milano Centrale station, is based on a circular vision of the city—where the existing becomes a resource. The tiles, selected and preserved by Despe S.p.A., were reintroduced into the installation through an innovative dry-mounting system developed by Fornace S. Anselmo: a custom-designed prefabricated metal frame that allows the shingles to be rotated and fixed while preserving their integrity.

The result is a façade that carries the memory of its material, but also the precision of its detailing. A reversible, demountable system, ready to return to the building site after the exhibition. It is an operation that combines craftsmanship and engineering, tradition and experimentation. In a time when the built environment tends to become increasingly uniform, the design gesture refocuses attention on what is often unseen: the joint, the hinge, the threshold.

Together with Alberto De Checchi, Export Manager and Creative Director at Fornace S. Anselmo, we reflected on some of the questions that run through the project:

Park: What is the value of manual skill and attention to detail in a time when everything tends toward standardization?
Alberto De Checchi: Fornace S. Anselmo is a company with over a century of experience in the brick industry, and has built its identity by focusing on the search for innovative solutions and effective responses to complex or highly challenging situations in the field of brick cladding. In our work, craftsmanship and attention to detail remain essential — especially when dealing with non-standard or intricate projects. While industrial production enables efficiency and consistency, certain design scenarios call for a more flexible approach, one that can accommodate exceptions, custom formats, and specific design needs. The experience we’ve developed over time allows us to integrate both dimensions: advanced technological processes, combined with manual techniques when required. It is precisely in these conditions that the dialogue with architectural firms becomes central — as happened with our collaboration with Park for the Biennale, where our technical expertise supported an unconventional design challenge.

P: What does it mean for a company with a long-standing tradition to engage with reuse practices and temporary installations?
ADC: For Fornace S. Anselmo, approaching reuse and temporary installations means adapting a consolidated skill set to new design requirements, while reinforcing our role as innovators. It’s an opportunity to experiment with sustainable solutions without compromising on quality — integrating reversibility and resource savings into systems that remain both robust and refined. Even in these contexts, brick can be reimagined as a circular and flexible material, demonstrating that innovation and tradition are not opposites, but can evolve together.

P: Can a constraint—such as the need to reuse existing material—be transformed into a design opportunity?
ADC: For Fornace S. Anselmo, recovering and reusing existing materials — such as those from historic buildings or major interventions — is above all an opportunity to highlight the architectural and cultural value of brick. It’s a way of preserving traces of an excellent past, respecting the memory and identity of historical works, while reinterpreting them in a contemporary context. Integrating reclaimed materials into new design scenarios helps bridge the gap between tradition and innovation. It’s a practice that stimulates research, encourages new technical solutions, and enriches the project with a unique narrative depth. In this way, reuse becomes a conscious act — one that combines sustainability, historical continuity, and architectural quality.

Resourceful Intelligence is also this: a collective testing ground where knowledge is exchanged and challenged. A process that demonstrates how every material carries a story—and how every story can become a project.

Resourceful Intelligence is a project by Park, Accurat, Prof. Gabriele Masera, Prof. Francesco Pittau, Michele Versaci - Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano Technical Collaborators: 6:AM, BUROMILAN, celexon, Fornace S.Anselmo, WICONA by Hydro Supporters: DeA Capital Real Estate SGR S.p.A., Medit S.r.l., Atlas Concorde, Fantoni, FRANZEN ITALIA srl, KALDEWEI, Rimadesio, Saint-Gobain Thanks: Despe S.p.A., Gruppo Finleonardo S.p.A.

Photo by Nicola Colella