Ca’ Scarpa, new headquarters of the Benetton Foundation at the Church of Santa Maria Nova
At the initiative of architect Tobia Scarpa, the Ca’ Scarpa project was commissioned to Isoplam by the construction company awarded the contract for the building’s renovation. This company had previously collaborated with Isoplam on other successful projects.
The project involved creating a three-story metal structure inside the Church of Santa Maria Nova in Treviso. This structure was designed to remain independent of the perimeter walls and the roof support columns and was served by an integrated access staircase. For the flooring finish, architect Tobia Scarpa requested an industrial-style “loft” effect.
The challenge was to achieve a concrete-like floor appearance on a balcony structure that could not support the weight of a traditional concrete slab.
How to achieve a concrete finish without being able to have conventional concrete flooring?
The intervention focused on two key aspects: the cement finish of the large floor surfaces and the detail of the walking surface of the metal staircase providing access to the upper floors.
The innovative solution was to avoid using a concrete mixer truck to deliver concrete to the site, which would have been logistically challenging and disruptive to the historic and artistic environment of the city center.
Before selecting Isoplam, the architect reviewed various samples during the design phase. After visiting previous Isoplam projects, he went to the company’s headquarters to observe their meticulous craftsmanship.
Upon visiting the site to assess the situation, Isoplam presented samples and proposed Skyconcrete, a low-thickness floor coating applied manually over the screed and smoothed using power trowels, commonly known as “helicopters” in the industry—similar to those used for industrial floors. The result was a seamless floor, except for the expansion joints that align with the screed’s potential stress points.
For the “grid-style” finish on the landings and steps and the “strip-style” attachment points of the staircase, highlighting the underlying metal support structure, a two-millimeter-thick Skyconcrete coating was applied to floors and stairs. In this case, it was manually troweled. A protective treatment was then applied to maintain the original look while providing a natural matte effect, ensuring minimal light reflection and a finish remarkably similar to concrete.
Overall, this was a highly skilled, “artisan” intervention. A demanding client, seeking assurance on the final result, entrusted Isoplam with full project execution, from site management to the application of specialized products. The company managed project timelines, allowing complete control over the supply chain—from material selection and mixing to application and final quality control.
Roberto Zancan
Roberto Zancan, PhD, is a professor of history and theory of architecture at HEAD-Geneva (HES-SO). He has served as Deputy Editor of Domus, Chief Curator of the Inside the Academy Program for the BE OPEN Foundation, and Associate Researcher for the UNESCO Chair in Conservation and Regeneration of Urban Heritage at IUAV University of Venice and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. He is also the founder of the Ground Action group, whose work has been featured in the official sections of the Venice Biennale, Ljubljana Design Biennale, Lisbon Triennale, and Manifesta Marseille.
