Cotto d’Este is starring in an extraordinary project involving the creation of Uptown in Milan, Italy, near the former expo area. Architect, Alessandro Scandurra, and engineer, Umberto Zanetti, chose the company’s high-quality ceramic to “dress” part of the interiors and exteriors of cutting-edge buildings.

Offering a new living concept, Uptown in Milan is the first Italian smart district, entirely powered by geothermal energy and a district heating network, which focuses primarily on quality of life and services. Inserted in an area connected to the strategic Arexpo sites and to the upcoming Human Tecnopole and University of Milan sites, the project offers residences that are cutting-edge from an architectural and technological point of view, and that can all be customized according to individual needs with high tech, home automation and wellness services.

Perfectly in line with the range by Cotto d’Este, which has always been distinguished by its commitment to offering products with excellent performance and minimal environmental impact, Uptown already encompasses a first batch of apartments, for which the brand has provided more than 15,000 square meters of ceramics.

The designers selected two collections for the project’s external surfaces, including Bluestyle by Cotto d’Este’s Yosemite collection and Kerlite’s Cluny colleciton. The Yosemite porcelain stoneware series, which is inspired by limestone, was selected for balconies and terraces, evoking its mineral element with a very natural effect. The ultra-thin, large-format ceramic slabs in the Kerlite Cluny collection were used to clad the building’s vertical surfaces.

For the indoor spaces, the design studio selected a series of products from the Cotto d’Este and Blustyle by Cotto d’Este catalogue, from which the owners of the apartments can choose the ones best-suited to their needs. Options include Blustyle by Cotto d’Este Concrete Jungle and Cotto d’Este X-Beton -- porcelain stoneware with a concrete effect -- for a more industrial and contemporary look, or wood-effect porcelain stoneware from the Blustyle by Cotto d’Este Country and Cotto d’Este Cadore collections for a more traditional, yet sophisticated style.