A Monumental Fabric Facade to Celebrate Serge Ferrari Group’s 50-Year Anniversary

An Anniversary Project 

Fifty years ago, Serge Ferrari first developed the Précontraint technology, a manufacturing process used to produce technical fabrics with unique physical properties. Marketed for tensile architecture, sunproofing and industrial applications, these ground-breaking membranes have been instrumental in raising construction standards by offering a range of materials boasting unparalleled flexibility, resistance and durability. 

Five decades later, the company — originally founded in 1973 — has grown to become the Serge Ferrari Group, branching out into new markets and businesses, and innovating continuously to deliver advanced technical fabrics to meet evolving environmental guidelines and construction needs. 

To mark this momentous 50-year milestone since its founding, Serge Ferrari Group wanted to celebrate the company’s success and highlight the dedication of its collaborators throughout the years. The result is a monumental fabric facade stretching over the side wall of the building housing Ci2m, a subsidiary of the Group. The location has been deliberately chosen so the commemorative design will be clearly visible from the road leading up to the corporate headquarters. 

Not just another project, a symbol of unity

In a fitting celebration of half a century of existence, the Group has decided to give centre stage to its greatest asset: its collaborators. The design composed by A-block is a vast mosaic featuring portraits of employees from all of the Group’s sites and subsidiaries worldwide. 

Each portrait independently tells a story and experience, and bearing witness to individual expertise. Symbolically bound together in the same composition, they celebrate dedication and success, and demonstrate the Group’s recognition of the part and role each employee has played in this collective achievement. 

The project is intended chiefly as a message of unity, underscoring the importance of international collaboration across departments and entities. It is also a strong nod to the Group’s diversified business, a reference to the sum of experiences and expertise accumulated by individuals who make up Serge Ferrari Group. 

A tensile facade in Précontraint 381 rPET

The material selected for this project is Précontraint 381 in recycled Polyester (rPET), a mesh fabric developed specifically for tensile facade applications, which combines high durability, sleek finish and very high resistance against weather conditions. Used on a wall with windows, this solution also delivers effective solar protection, blocking up to 81% of heat while preserving views to outside. 

To support the fabric printed by BS2i, a metal framework had to be built over the entire span of the wall measuring 20 metres across and 9 metres high . Prior to the structure being assembled, certain modifications had to be made to the building, including rerouting a ventilation exhaust duct and consolidating the building’s metal cladding. All installation works were carried out by FTI. In total, the completed project used about 200 sqm of Précontraint 381 rPET. 

Symbolising the Group’s wealth of talents, the design created by A-blok will be miniaturised and printed on Seemee Loop indoor fabric to be distributed and displayed at all corporate sites across the globe. Aside from its aesthetic value, the design illustrates Serge Ferrari Group’s appreciation for the commitment of its collaborators, and serves as a reminder that behind every project, every initiative, stand dedicated men and women driven by the same spirit of innovation and aspiration to excellence.